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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24909472">Skeletons In the Closet</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerryAnne/pseuds/TerryAnne'>TerryAnne</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Dancetale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Inktale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Outertale (Undertale), Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Parenting, Ballroom Dancing, Bara Papyrus (Undertale), Bara Sans (Undertale), Comfort/Angst, Couch Cuddles, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Cussing, Cute, Cute Ending, Cutesy, Dancetale Sans (Undertale), Dancing, Dancing and Singing, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Alphys/Undyne (Undertale), Eventual Smut, Family Fluff, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Forehead Kisses, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Gentle Kissing, Heavy Angst, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Inktale Sans (Undertale), Kissing, Literal Sleeping Together, Medication, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Mild Smut, Minor Alphys/Undyne (Undertale), Morning Cuddles, Multi, My First Smut, Neck Kissing, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Outertale Sans (Undertale), Past Abuse, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Child Abuse, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Sans (Undertale), Post-Coital Cuddling, Pregnancy, Pregnant Sex, Protective Sans (Undertale), Protectiveness, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader-Insert, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Running Away, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Singing, Sleepy Cuddles, Slow Dancing, Smut, Stargazing, Swearing, Tags May Change, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, Undertale Spoilers, prompts, requests open</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 03:41:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,301</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24909472</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerryAnne/pseuds/TerryAnne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Requests open!</p><p>This is a collection of Reader-Insert Oneshots that are based off of either requests or prompts I’ve found. </p><p>All requests are welcome as long as they are either Sans/Reader, Papyrus/Reader, or any combination of the skeleton boys and Reader. </p><p>AUs of any kind are accepted! Though if I don't feel comfortable writing something I won't. No major character death or explicit non-con, please.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Papyrus &amp; Sans (Undertale), Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>77</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackalope_Doodles/gifts">Jackalope_Doodles</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hello, darlings! My name is Terry and I love Undertale! I love Reader-Insert fics so much that I couldn't help but make a collection of one-shots! I will post all of these both here and as their own stories, especially if they have sequels, and when I'm done with whatever prompt I've been given, I'll gift it to whoever requested it! Please keep your comments positive and constructive, I do not tolerate bullying and if your prompt or comment is worded rudely I will delete it. But other than that, I can't wait to see what comes next! I love you all and happy reading!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. My World Revolves Around You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"You always smile just before you cry."</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello, darlings! One of my fics based off of a prompt I saw when scrolling through Pinterest. I got so inspired I had to write it out! It's already posted as its own story on my works page so if you've read it already separately, I'm sorry! I just wanted to give you all a taste of my writing to see if you like my story before you request! I love you all!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"you always smile just before you cry.”</p><p>You glanced up from the book that lay open in your lap to look across the couch, a flash of confusion twisting your features as you met his eyes. Sans stared back at you, completely unblinking, his usually bright face clouded with realization and sadness. In a moment of anxiety, you brought you hand up to your cheeks, worried that you’d begun crying without realizing it, and only feeling your confusion grow as your fingers brushed against perfectly dry skin.</p><p>“What?” You asked simply, your voice perplexed.</p><p>Sans stared at you for a long moment, his star-shaped eyelights studying the features of your face as if he was remembering your pained expression. For a moment, it seemed as if he regretted saying what he’d said. You wondered to yourself if he would respond at all when he suddenly broke the silence.</p><p>“before you cry, you always smile. a big, stretched out smile that makes your heart shatter when you look at it. and not only before you cry, whenever you hurt badly enough, i see it. i’ve never seen anyone with such a… depressing smile before.” Sans replied, his face twisting into one of regret and contemplation.</p><p>You sighed a bit, seeing the painfully serious look on your husband’s face as he stared into your eyes, searching your face for something. In a few quick and practiced movements, you slipped your bookmark onto the page you had been reading, closing the book and setting it on the coffee table next to you. Sans watched your every move carefully like he was afraid to set you off and send you into another one of your episodes.</p><p>“Do you want to know why?” You offered, trying to keep your voice steady as you pulled your legs in closer to you, turning your body to face Sans head-on.</p><p>Sans face morphed into one of heavy concern and hesitant curiosity, his eyelights trained intensely on every change in your face. It wasn’t often that you were stable enough in your emotional state to share much about your disorders or your past, especially involving your upbringing. Sans knew this, and as much as you could see he wanted to jump at the opportunity you presented him, his reluctance made it clear to you that he was more concerned with your personal wellbeing and happiness than his own biting curiosity, which you knew the starry-eyed skeleton had an abundance of. You appreciated his hesitance but managed a soft smile to reassure him that you were as okay as you could be.</p><p>“yes,” He said at last, and you relaxed your frame, stretching out your legs a bit and leaning back on the armrest of your dark blue sofa.</p><p>Taking a deep breath, you began.</p><p>“Growing up, my parents, as you know, were major assholes. Radically conservative, falsely Christian, and horribly traditional, they were the perfect mix to make a pair of abusive, controlling dicks. I was their first kid, and thus the biggest disappointment of their lives. For the first five years of my life, they treated me like their servant in training, making me wear a uniformed outfit around the house, teaching me to speak with perfect English and weird honorifics, only letting me eat what they couldn’t finish, things like that. Then, my dad accidentally knocked up my mom again, and thus my sister was born. In the beginning, they stopped paying any attention to be, and I got some peace for a few years.” You stopped for a moment, your eyes dropping from where they had been looking at Sans to fall to your hands, seeing that he had reached out and laced his phalanges through your fingers.</p><p>You gave him a soft smile of reassurance, though you could tell it was wobbly at best and unsettling at worst. He frowned a bit as he looked over you, his eyelights flickering as his brows scrunched together in concern. Giving his hand a gentle squeeze, you took a deep breath and continued.</p><p>“I honestly thought things would get better from there. She was perfect. Sweet, very obedient, naïve. She molded to their wishes perfectly. They…loved her, it seemed. But one day, when I was 11, my dad came home drunk. Like, really, <em>really </em>drunk. And he was out of control. Manic, depressed, obsessive. I tried to calm him down, but he wasn’t having it. He knocked me to the ground and beat my sister until she couldn’t walk at all. My mom screamed at him, he…well, my mom sucked, but she didn’t deserve what he did to her that night. From that day forth, my mom hated my dad and blamed my sister. And so did my dad, because he still loved my mom and she ‘took that from him.’ She had never been taught how to handle them, how to submit, and behave. Then, there was the incident about a month later, when I realized what I had to do. I’ll never forget that nig-” Your voice cracked as a burning sensation started in your throat, and you felt a wave of amusement wash over you as you realized your face was stretched into a bright, pained smile.</p><p>Sans grimaced at the look on your face, shifting over on the couch so that he was sitting against your legs. You squeaked out as he looped his arms around your waist and pulled you to sit on his lap, resting your back against his ribcage and gently placing his skull atop your head. You smiled a bit at the calming gesture, bringing his hand up from where it rested on yours and kissing the bones softly.</p><p>“you don’t have to keep going.” He hummed softly, picking at the yellow pocket on his blue hoodie.</p><p>“I want to, Casanova. I’m okay, trust me. Where was I? Oh yes, I’ll never forget that night…”</p><p> </p><p>********</p><p> </p><p>“Y/N! Where are you?!” A thunderous voice that sent a shudder of fear down your spine boomed through the house, the tone of the words one you hadn’t heard in many years.</p><p>Immediately, you snapped into a mindset that you had hoped you’d never have to use again, your back straightening and hands coming to clasp together in their proper fashion. Your kid sister, Annabelle, sat beside you, confusedly staring up at you as you dropped the children’s book you’d been reading to help her get to sleep. You cringed a bit as you looked down at your clothes, and your sister’s. They hadn’t enforced the uniform rule in years, but if Father was speaking in that tone…</p><p>“Y/N? Why’s Daddy so angry?” Annabelle asked, her big, hazel eyes glimmering up at you with untrained innocence.</p><p>“Hush, Annabelle. Address him as Father <em>only</em> if he speaks to you. If not, keep your head down. Sit up, sit up! Quickly! Follow my lead, and for the love of God, <em>stay quiet!</em>” You hissed harshly, and Anna flinched under your gaze, quickly completing your requests.</p><p>“<strong><em>Y/N!</em></strong>” Father’s voice repeated, and you shot up immediately, softly cursing.</p><p>You’d taken too long, and now he was pissed. You called out your location as succinctly as possible, keeping your tone respectful and meek. You did your best not to flinch, out of practice, as his heavy, drunken footsteps dragged themselves up the stairs. You begged your mother to show up, to distract the crazed man approaching you and your sister’s shared room, but Mother was hardly home anymore, after the fight, and when she was, she could be nearly as bad as Father himself.</p><p>Why couldn’t Annabelle just <em>learn</em>! It had been almost a month of this from our parents, why couldn’t she just figure it out! Father, not Daddy. Proper English, proper posture, correct reactions. A hot fury bubbled up in you as she whimpered pathetically, hunched over and terrified. The heated anger that had begun to burn your chest grew icy cold in an instant as Annabelle took your hand tightly into your own, and you remembered. She was just a kid. Just an innocent,<em> ignorant</em> child who had never seen her parents angry before one month ago. You’d been doing this for many years before that, of course, you would know better than her. She was <em>your</em> baby sister. She was <em>your</em> responsibility.</p><p>The door slammed open, causing your sister to flinch violently and shoot straight up, posture perfect as she yanked her hand out from yours and folded it in her lap, eyes downcast. A spike of relief and pride rushed through you at the sight, before the smell of sex, sweat, and whiskey slammed into you, nearly knocking the breath from your lungs.</p><p>“Dog, where is your whore mother?” Your Father asked, the familiar derogatory name sending prickles of discomfort down your back.</p><p>“I do not know, Father. I am sorry, sir.” You replied dutifully, doing your best to keep your voice neutral.</p><p>He growled viciously, the sound fake and unfitting for a human, more like someone who was drowning than someone trying to be frightening. You tensed your muscles fractionally as he approached, keeping your eyes on the floor in front of you as you stood in front of your cowering sister, who, though she was shaking so violently she looked ready to keel over, had kept her position, something you were far more than thankful for.</p><p>A hand shot out in your field of vision, startling you and nearly causing you to scream as fingers dug harshly into your jaw, forcing your face up. Your eyes immediately met your fathers, his eyelids drooping but his expression curled into one of cold fury. You grit your teeth as his blunt nails dug painfully into the skin of your cheek, making you flinch. A hot, sticky liquid you assumed was blood began to run down your throat, and it took everything in you to force back your tears.</p><p>“I said, <strong><em>where is your WHORE MOTHER!</em></strong>” Your father’s voice boomed so loudly you fought the urge to claw at your ears.</p><p>Shaking, looking him dead in the eyes and trying to seem as respectful as possible, you opened your mouth to reply, only to find yourself cut off by Annabelle’s soft voice. As she began to speak, you immediately panicked, begging her to shut up, to look down, <em>don’t antagonize him!</em></p><p>“Mama went to Andrew’s.” Annabelle said, and you blanched, your face draining of blood as your father’s face went red with fury.</p><p>He dropped you suddenly, and you fell back onto the bed, stumbling over your own feet and landing awkwardly next to your sister on the bed. You glanced over at her with terror in your eyes, the fear growing in your chest choking you as you attempted to pull in some air. She looked up at your father, a look of shock and horror on her face.</p><p>“You little bitch! Did I address you?! It’s your fault your mother is dead, isn’t it! I’ll kill you for that, you SLUT!” He screamed.</p><p>Too quickly for you to react, your sister was already slamming into you, clutching at her cheek with a blood-curdling scream. You caught her reflexively, all sense of self-preservation out the window as you caught sight of her already swelling cheek. She clutched at it protectively, tears flowing down her face in an unstoppable torrent.</p><p>“HEY! Don’t hit her!” You screamed, jumping out of her bed to stand in front of your father, shoving him backward with a sharp push into his chest.</p><p>Every muscle in your body froze up at that moment, your body going past abject terror and straight into numb acceptance, your heart going so fast that it sounded like a single note sounding in your chest. Your father steadied himself at the last moment, the alcohol making him woozy and disoriented.</p><p>Honestly, you didn’t remember what happened next. One moment you were staring up at your Father, and the next you were on the floor in so much pain that every other function of your body was stalled in order to focus on the burning agony inside you. You could hear someone crying, someone screaming your name over you, and footsteps going unsteadily down the stairs as a hand came down on your shoulder and shook you aggressively, lighting every nerve on fire.</p><p>“Y/N, please! <em>Please, wake up!</em>” Your sister; that was your sister’s voice.</p><p>You opened your eyes to find yourself laying on the hard floor of your sister’s room, bruises already forming on your face and arms. Your leg was twisted awkwardly, and though it was tingling numbly, you had the feeling it was probably very broken. Your sister rolled you heavily onto your back, a panicked look on her face and tears streaming down her face.</p><p>“Y/N, are you okay?” Annabelle was in an absolute panic, the look of fear and agony on her swollen, bruised face etched into your mind.</p><p>As you looked up at your little sister, so young, so <em>innocent</em>, you saw yourself staring back. Memories, pain, abuse came flying through your brain as you remembered everything that you went through. You couldn’t let Anna go through that. You <em>wouldn’t</em>. Even if it killed you, you’d give you little sister everything you hadn’t gotten. You would give her your love.</p><p>As tears began to fill your throat, you swallowed them down, and with all the courage and effort you could muster…</p><p>You smiled.</p><p>The pain, it hurt. You smiled but your tears kept building and building and building and it hurt <strong><em>so bad, and…</em></strong></p><p>“starlight, <em>please!</em>”</p><p>You were violently pulled out of your flashback to find yourself looking not into the eyes of your sister, but your husband. Sans was holding your face in his hands, his eyelights worriedly flickering back and forth between the center of your chest and your eyes, checking your soul and doing his best to ground you in the moment.</p><p>When he noticed your eyes suddenly snapping into focus, he breathed out a heavy, relieved, sigh, dropping forward and pulling you into a tight hug. You realized that at some point in your story it must’ve gone from retelling the night to reliving it, and he’d probably adjusted your position so that you were straddling his lap when he’d realized you were panicking and tried to snap you out of it.</p><p>A sense of immense calm and relief washed over you as you returned the hug, wrapping your arms tightly around his shoulders and clinging onto his scapulas. He shushed you gently as you sobbed, rubbing his hand up and down your back in slow soothing circles. You clung tightly to him as the world shifted under you, and suddenly you were laying on your shared bed, your head tucked securely under Sans’ chin.</p><p>“shh, shh, starlight. my north star, my sunshine. it’s okay. you were so, <em>so </em>strong to always smile for your sister. but you don’t have to be strong anymore, stardust. i’ve got you, and i won’t let <em>anyone</em> hurt you, ever. if i wasn’t so sure you’d be upset with me, i’d throw your parents into a black hole for everything they did to you. you’re <em>mine</em>, and i won’t let anyone do anything like that to you ever again. shh, shh, my little star. no need to cry, i’m right here.”</p><p>The soothing words eventually calmed you enough to control your ragged breathing and finally stop the sobs that threatened to choke you with their intensity. He whispered promises and praise softly into your ear, telling you how good you were doing, how much he loved you and needed you.</p><p>“T-thank you. And, I’m…sorry.” You stammered out eventually between breaths, startling a bit as he tightened his grip on you, burying his face into your neck and brushing his teeth against your mating mark.</p><p>“you have absolutely no reason to be sorry, starlight. the only ones at fault were your parents, and they will never touch or talk to you again with me around. you are mine, and i’ll be damned if i let them near you again. you are more precious to me than anything in any universe, than any planet or star. you are my universe, my atmosphere, my light and my gravity. mine, and only mine. don’t ever apologize for needing me, because i love you needing me because i need you. my starlight. my wife. My mate.”</p><p>Sans’ word brought a fresh round of tears to your eyes, and your cheeks glowed at his sweet words. He wrapped around you protectively, his glittering blue magic encasing you in gentle warmth and soothing the last edges of fear. You felt his magic wrap around your soul, and a wave of sleepiness suddenly overtook you.</p><p>“just go to sleep, starlight. i’ll be here when you wake up.” Sans cooed comfortingly, and within moments, you were fast asleep.</p><p> </p><p>********</p><p>
  <strong>
    
  </strong>
</p><p>“<em>~starlight~</em>”</p><p>You were pulled from your dreamless sleep slowly and opened your eyes to see Sans’ bright, shimmering eyelights inches from your eyes. You blinked slowly, stifling a yawn as you tried to understand what was going on. You were wrapped tightly in a blanket, swaddled almost, though less constrictive. You were laid on something soft but firm, much firmer than your bed.</p><p>Sans’ eyes suddenly left yours shifting to look… up? Though from your perspective it seemed as if he was just looking to his left, judging by the fact that you were both laying on your sides, you realized he must’ve been looking up at the ceiling. You followed his gaze.</p><p>No, not ceiling, <em>sky!</em></p><p>Stretched out above you was a glittering, starry sky, packed with more glittering lights than you’d ever seen in your entire life. Abruptly, you pulled your arms out of your bundle and shot up, neck craned as far back as possible as you stared up at the sky above you, absolutely awestruck. A small chuckle pulled you from your admiration.</p><p>You glanced back down next to you to see Sans watching you with a lazy, happy grin plastered on his face. You grinned back at him, swooping down and pressing a joy-filled kiss right on his teeth. He flushed and sputtered a bit as you pulled away, looking back up at the sky with a squeal of excitement.</p><p>“Sans! It’s so beautiful!” You exclaimed, your jaw dropping a bit as you stared at the unbroken magnitude of stars glittering brightly against a black, blue, and purple sky.</p><p>“i’d hoped you’d say that. come here, lay back down, you’re gonna get cold if you stay sitting up with the blanket only on your legs. i promise it’s a lot easier to see the stars this way.” Sans said bemusedly, gesturing to the place next to him.</p><p>You glanced down to where he gestured, and you finally realized that you were laid out in a field of pretty white flowers, a large, soft comforter and two pillows keeping your body off the cold ground. You gasped as you looked around, taking in a deep breath to smell the crisp nighttime air and the intoxicating scent of flowers and cedar.</p><p>With a huff of amusement, Sans reached out and pulled you to him, resting your head against his shoulder, the hard bone softened by the thick fabric of his hoodie.</p><p>And so you laid there with your husband, a heavy blanket draped over you and cuddled into his warmth. You laid there for hours, talking, singing, staring up into the night sky, spending the night enjoying each other’s company. Eventually, your exhaustion caught up to you and you finally relented to it, curling up to and placing your head on your husband’s chest. He wrapped his arm around you and held you close to him, his hold protective and comforting.</p><p>“I love you so much, Sans.” You whispered as your eyes drifted closed.</p><p>And just before darkness claimed you and you slipped into a pleasant sleep, you heard his reply.</p><p>“i love you so much more, starlight. my world, my love, my life.”</p><p>“i love you”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. As The Sun Sets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They were all so happy. Laughing, joking, full of life, and hope.</p><p>And you just... weren't.</p><p>They didn't need you.</p><p>No one did.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"is everything okay, sweetheart?"</p><p>You looked up from where you had been half-heartedly pushing your broccoli around your plate, a food which you normally loved but felt no appetite for tonight, to meet the eyes of your boyfriend. He stared back at you with a look of careful concern, the tension in his pose obvious. It was only then that you realized that the lively conversation that had been gracing the dinner table had completely stopped, all attention trained solely on you. You crumpled under everyone's concerned gazes, your eyes and hands immediately dropping down to your lap. You could feel the tension in the air as your hands began to shake slightly. You tried to stifle your reaction as best as you could without being suspicious, clearing your throat.</p><p>"Yeah, Sans. I'm fine." You forced out, your voice was shaky and unsure as you cringed at your terrible lie.</p><p>In reality, you were anything but fine. Yeah, you probably should've realized that something was wrong when you ran out of your meds. You were too lazy, forgetful, and nervous to go get more, your brain telling you that you would probably be able to function perfectly well without them. And now, though you realized that you <em>desperately </em>needed your medication, you were too afraid of admitting your mistake, or worse, being a burden on your newfound family to ever ask anyone to drive you to the office to pick them up. Dammit, you wished you had learned how to drive, but the mere thought of getting behind the wheel was enough to send you into an anxiety attack on a good day, so you were forced to rely on others for even the most basic of things.</p><p>After several more moments of silence, you dared to glance back up at the people seated at the circular table around you. Every one of them was staring intently at you, from little Frisk to the very tall Papyrus, to the intimidating Undyne, and even her tiny girlfriend Alphys. Each one wore mirrored expressions of concern and disbelief, and though you couldn't bear to meet your boyfriend's eyes, you knew Sans probably looked the same. You quickly looked back at your lap, your social anxiety spiking as you withered under the attention that the people around you were giving you.</p><p>"My dear, could you please look at me?" Toriel's voice broke the silence that had settled over the room, and you immediately snapped your focus to the goat woman you considered your mother, your resolve crumbling slightly at the sight of her saddened smile.</p><p>"Are you sure everything is alright?" She asked, and it took everything in you to keep your tears at bay. Damn, you were so fucking emotional, how pathetic.</p><p>"Yeah, mom. I'm okay." You replied, your voice cracking towards the end as your throat filled up with a hard, painful lump of tears.</p><p>It was clear to you how badly you'd lied. You could see it on almost every face at the table, staunch disbelief overshadowed by intense familial concern. But this wasn't their problem, it wasn't their responsibility to deal with. You weren't some sniveling child like you'd been so many years ago. A flood of determination filled you as you fought to keep your emotions in check. This was your problem to deal with, and meds or not, you weren't going to drag anyone here at the table down with you.</p><p>"Well, that's a relief, because even if you weren't we really wouldn't care anyway." Flowey's biting voice snapped you out of your thoughts, your determination dissolving as tears pricked at your eyes, unbidden, at the flower's harsh words.</p><p>In a rush of movement, everyone at the table, aside from you, Frisk, and Alphys, stood abruptly. Sans' eyelights had disappeared, and his signature smile turned deadly as he glared at the tiny flower resting at the table across from you. Papyrus had his arms wrapped around his brother's frame, gloved hands digging tightly into the fabric of his hoodie as he scrambled to keep San's wrath at bay. Toriel, seated in between Flowey and Undyne, had her paw outstretched to hold back Undyne, who'd curled her clawed hand into a fist, muscles so strained that you could swear she would burst a blood vessel if her blood pressure stayed as high as it did. You cowered down next to Alphys, who put a comforting hand on your own, shooting Flowey a withering glare over her round eyeglasses, which was less threatening than amusing but got the point across. Tears flowed down your cheeks silently as you began to violently shake, clawing at your left arm to do everything you could to bite back a sob.</p><p>To your surprise, it was Papyrus who spoke first, though violent rumbles sounded from deep within San's chest. "FLOWEY, WHY WOULD YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO Y/N? YOU KNOW THAT IS NOT TRUE; WE ARE ALL VERY CONCERNED WITH BOTH THEIR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL BEING. WHAT YOU SAID IS UNTRUE, AND MEAN! YOU SHOULD APOLOGIZE!"</p><p>Undyne growled low in her throat, her claws digging so harshly into the flesh of her palm that you worried they would slice through her scales. She didn't flinch though, taking in a deep breath before returning her gaze to the surprisingly nonchalant buttercup across from her. If looks could kill, Flowey would be dead several times over. Toriel shot her a warning glance as she pushed closer to the flower, one that Undyne ignore, instead towering over Flowey with a sneer on her face.</p><p>"Yeah, you stupid weed. Besides," She said, her tone dropping into a deadly whisper that you had to strain to hear. "They're a sensitive kid. You know about their past, and you, <em>Asriel</em>, should be more sympathetic and considerate than anyone!"</p><p>You shuddered violently at the mention of your past, and your stomach twisted painfully as a look of regret and guilt flashed across Flowey's face, though it was quickly replaced with a cruel sneer that made you want to flinch back. Alphys laced her fingers through your own, giving your hand a reassuring squeeze though she looked around the room with no small amount of concern and fear. The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife, and the familiar buzzing static and heavy cedar scent of San's magic filled the air with a palpable sense of danger and distress that made alarm bells go off in your head.</p><p>"Well, hopefully, y/n is big enough that they can handle their shit like the rest of us did!" Flowey spat harshly, and you tensed, every muscle in your body shaking so violently you were practically vibrating.</p><p><em><strong>"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!</strong></em><em><strong>"  </strong></em>Sans' voice boomed through the room, startling everyone as the tiny flower was suddenly encased in bright blue magic, suspended precariously inches away from Sans' face.</p><p>You flinched back, nearly falling if it hadn't been for Alphys' arm quickly wrapping around you to steady you, staying there as you fought back the rising panic in your throat. Frisk looked at you with concern, scooting her chair closer next to you to grab on to your sweater in a comforting manner. You took in quiet, shallow breaths, doing everything you could to stay as silent as possible to keep the attention off of you. Damn, you needed your meds. At this point, a panic attack was practically unavoidable, it was just a manner of when; how long you could stall it before it crashed into you like a tidal wave.</p><p>"say that again," Sans said after a few moments of tense silence, voice cold and unforgiving, "and i will make sure you more than regret it. we've been through a lot, sure, but y/n has been through hell and is still handling her shitty past better than you. so do us all a favor, and <strong><em>shut the hell up</em></strong><strong>." </strong></p><p>Alphys' arm wrapped steadily around your shoulders was the only thing helping you keep the overwhelming anxiety and adrenaline that threatened to drown you with its enormity at bay. You hadn't been this bad in years, not since you'd moved out of your parents' house and gotten therapy and meds to help you deal with your issues. You were openly crying now, though completely silently, as Sans reluctantly lowered Flowey to the table, and it seemed as if the room let out a collective breath of relief and disappointment. Wordlessly, everyone slowly began to sit down, starting with Toriel, who dragged a fuming Undyne with her, then, after a few moments, Papyrus finally managed to get Sans to take a seat beside him, though with everyone's attention suddenly back on you, the pressure in the room became too much.</p><p>You let out a choked sob.</p><p>Immediately, you stood, keeping your eyes on your feet as Alphy's arm fell from your shoulders and Frisk released your sweater, albeit reluctantly, looking up at you with furrowed brows. You felt everyone's gazes on you as you stood there shaking and sobbing softly, doing everything you could to keep yourself from crumbling in a ball as you pushed out your chair so quickly it toppled over. You stammered out an apology, kneeling quickly and awkwardly to pick it back up as your face flushed red with humiliation, and you ducked your head so far down that it hit your chest. Standing, never turning your back to the table, you bowed slightly, clasping your hands together so tightly your knuckles were white.</p><p>"I'm going to bed, goodnight." You sobbed out, the words tumbling from your lips as you retreated on shaking legs, a litany of protests following you.</p><p>Your pace was brisk as you stumbled past Frisk, who vainly attempted to stop you with an outstretched hand you easily sidestepped. You began to break down, your sobs becoming loud and shuddering as you curled into yourself, your knees buckling a little as you become blind with your tears. You quickened your pace, crossing the threshold of the room and disappearing into the hallway without a backward glance. You heard a chair topple over and you flinched, breaking out into a sudden sprint as adrenaline and the fear of being chased lighted inside your veins.</p><p>As soon as you caught sight of your room, a wave of relief so intense you almost fell over slammed into you, and you slipped inside as quickly as you could, slamming the door behind you. Exhausted, you leaned back against the wall, finally, <em>finally</em> relaxed enough to cover your eyes and lean your weight back, sliding down the door and curling into a tight ball as you hit the floor. You shook violently as your sobs strengthened, then finally quieted, and your hiccups slowed into short, stuttering breaths.</p><p>"sweetheart? can i please come in?" Sans' voice startled you as it called from the other side of the door, muffled and soft, but thick with worry.</p><p>You stayed still for a moment, staring down at your hands that still shook badly. You desperately wanted Sans to come in and comfort you, more than anything in the world you wanted to be wrapped up in his arms, cuddled up in the soft warmth of his hoodie. But this wasn't his problem, and you couldn't ask him to handle this. You couldn't...you couldn't...</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>Instantly, a pair of arms wrapped around you, and you startled a bit before the familiar smell of cedar filled your nose. You broke down crying again, turning into the warmth that Sans offered and reaching out to cling tightly onto his jacket. He shushed you gently, picking you up and carrying you over to his bed, before sitting down and pulling you into his lap, tucking you into his hoodie and resting his chin atop your head as he rocked you in slow, soothing movements.</p><p>"shh, my perfect little mate, shh. it's okay, it's okay to cry. i'm so sorry he said those things to you, they weren't true. you are perfect just the way you are, okay? i love you so, so much. shh, shh..."</p><p>After what felt like hours, your sobs finally quieted, then stopped completely, until you were left limp and sniffling in Sans' hold. Sans continued to rock you and whisper encouragement long after your tears had stopped flowing. As you came back to your senses, a feeling of horrible embarrassment flooded through you, and you flushed a bright shade of red. That was so pathetic! You couldn't handle one stupid issue before you had a breakdown!</p><p>A small voice in your head reminded you that this particular breakdown had been a long time coming, with your lack of medication and the tendency to force down your issues leading to an unhealthy concoction of mental tension. It told you not to blame yourself, because this wasn't something you could help, and that you should just tell Sans what was wrong. But the larger part of you, the one that wished you could crawl into the floor and die, felt unbelievably childish and weak for your reaction.</p><p>"I'm sorry," you whispered, and Sans pulled his head from yours, shifting your position so you could look up into his bright eyes.</p><p>"for what, love? you didn't do anything wrong, though i would appreciate it if you would tell me the truth next time i ask if you're upset." Sans chided, though his voice held no heat and he looked worried more than anything else.</p><p>You blushed brightly, sighing and burying your face into the fabric of his hoodie. You hated being caught in a lie, more than anything else you could get in trouble for. You felt guilty, even if you could tell that no one was mad at you. But that didn't mean you could tell him the truth, right? You could just ask Papyrus to grab your meds for you if you had to, or at worst, walk there yourself when they were at work, even if it was a few miles away.</p><p>"It's just been...hard, for the past few days. I haven't gotten enough sleep and I'm lonely." You said, which technically wasn't a lie, even though you were omitting a huge detail.</p><p>"oh, little one. come to me next time you're feeling this way, okay? we can work through it together to avoid situations like that. and," Sans said, gently grasping your chin to look into your eyes with deadly seriousness, "i promise that he will never, <em>ever </em>say anything like that to you again and get away with it, okay? i'll always protect you."</p><p>Sans punctuated his speech with a soft, comforting kiss, and the strong scent of cedar filled your nose as his magic surrounded you both, shifting you both so you were laying down, your body still cuddled up in his jacket and your legs entwined. You smiled against his teeth, your spirits lifting a bit as he pulled the blanket up to cover your both, before pulling away and tucking you into himself in a protective embrace.</p><p>You laid like that for an uncertain amount of time, before you heard the sound of his soft snores, and you finally allowed yourself to be pulled into an unsettled slumber.</p><p> </p><p>********</p><p>Things were okay..... for a little while, that is.</p><p>You stayed silent about your meds; no one asked you about it so you figured it must not be that important or noticeable and you probably didn't need them anymore anyway. Sans and Papyrus got busier and busier, which you supposed was probably both a good and bad thing. Bad for the obvious reason. Stuck at home, unable to leave very often, and often too tired to do so, you were lonely and cooped-up in your apartment. You'd begged Papyrus and Sans on multiple occasions to let you get a job to help around the house, but they argued that you were delicate and fragile and they were happier knowing you could just lounge around at home and enjoy yourself.</p><p>Them being away wasn't all bad, however, though the upsides were less enjoyable than you'd hoped. Without your meds, you found your anxiety constantly spiking, which left you exhausted and numb most days, and you dissociated a lot, and you were grateful to any diety that listened that they didn't have to deal with that. You didn't want to worry them with your mental stability when they were already so busy with their own lives and supporting your wellbeing.</p><p>But...you missed them.</p><p>Not wanting to spend any more money than necessary, you stopped booking appointments with your therapist. You were fine anyway, you didn't need him to help you when nothing was wrong. You'd done this your entire childhood with no meds or therapy and you were fine, right? Of course, of course. Your psychologist's office was within walking distance, so you didn't have to ask people for rides, and even better, you had no reason to tell anyone you had stopped! Therapy is expensive, you knew that, and if you could spare them the expense, you would. They didn't need to know about it to feel the effects.</p><p>Even with this logic, something in you felt seriously wrong. Every day when you woke up, you felt oddly fatigued and almost upset. The nightmares that had faded in your youth had come back again in full force. You lost track of time and had no sense of days passing because you spent most of your time staring at the ceiling or reading the same five books over and over like a mantra. Normally, Papy or at least Sans would have noticed and corrected this repetitive, and frankly unhealthy, behavior, but lately, they were swamped. Their jobs always seemed to toughen up this time of year, probably to prepare for the coming holidays.</p><p>It took a toll on them, you could tell. In your odd, dissociative state, you were far less observant than usual, but even you could see that they were exhausted, often skipping dinner altogether in favor of crashing as soon as they got home. This was concerning when it came to Sans, but seeing Papyrus lose his enthusiasm for cooking dinner in the late afternoons was nothing short of depressing. This only furthered your loneliness as you ate by yourself, your meals getting smaller and smaller until you ate nothing at all. If you weren't eating with them, then why eat? Food tasted bland and gritty to you anyway, so it wasn't a sacrifice when you started skipping dinner, then breakfast, then, on most days, even lunch.</p><p>They didn't notice.</p><p>You told yourself that you didn't care.</p><p>As things went on, it only worsened, and you were powerless to do anything to stop it. Day after day of them going to bed before you, and leaving long before you awoke. Days going by with the number of sentences they spoke to you dwindling, the loneliness faded into eternal nothingness. The numb, tired stupor you were caught in seemed only to be broken by occasional spikes in your anxiety, and with your isolation, even that was becoming few and far between, which you weren't sure if you were happy or sad about.</p><p>Finally, the numb prison you found yourself stuck in became too much for you to bear. Your feared you would lose yourself, get bad enough that you would waste away and even your overworked boyfriend and his brother would notice, something you dreaded. They didn't need the added stress of having to deal with your stupid problems next to their own. You had to find a way to feel something, and as you stood in the kitchen late at night, the darkness covering you, you found a way.</p><p>You hadn't done it for years. Not since you were a teenager, stuck living with your parents. They hadn't noticed in all of your years living with them, so you knew that it was unlikely that the two mostly oblivious skeletons living with you now would pay you enough mind to figure it out. You looked at the knife resting on the kitchen counter, a small perry knife that you knew no one would notice was missing. It was small, but sharp and thin, something you could appreciate in a blade. It was perfect for what you were planning to do.</p><p>You felt disgusting.</p><p>But hey, at least disgusting was a feeling. It's better than numb. Anything is better than being numb, even agony. So, you chose agony. Slice, after slice, ruby drops drip, drip, dripping into the metal of the kitchen sink, the iron scent of the metal lining washing out the iron scent of blood. They wouldn't notice it. You made sure of that. Though, with a bitter laugh, you realized that they probably wouldn't have noticed unless you made it obvious. You always liked hoodies anyway, and you made sure not to cut too low on your wrists.</p><p>It felt awful.</p><p>But at least awful was something. You could do awful. You would do awful if it meant keeping them safe from your trauma. Your thoughts shifted to Sans' smiling face and your heart twinged, which surprised you. You'd grown so unfeeling you didn't think that was possible.</p><p>Damn, you were really bad again, weren't you?</p><p>And yet, you couldn't bring yourself to stop. The rush of relief that filled you when you pulled the knife away from your skin after each cut was intoxicating. You were drunk on the sensation. Disgusting. Pathetic and horrific. Sick, twisted. Honest. Your thoughts were broken up into dissolving fragments as you cleaned the knife with practiced movements, slipping it into its holder like it had never been used. </p><p>Next, knowing you had to do this no matter how pointless it seemed, you grabbed a roll of paper towels and a bottle of alcohol, coming to stand once again by the sink and washing your mottled skin clean of the blood that darkened it. The cuts weren't deep; they didn't keep bleeding once you'd rinsed them off, but you soaked a towel in alcohol and ran it over the cuts anyway, barely reacting as each cut smarted and burned painfully.</p><p>Once you were sure they wouldn't bleed again, you rolled down your sleeves, letting out a heavy sigh as you realized it was over. You tried to fight the feeling of nothingness that clawed at your brain, but it was too much. Your stomach grumbled.</p><p>You ignored it.</p><p>********</p><p>"honey? are you there?" San's voice snapped you out of another light bout of dissociation as you heard the front door open.</p><p>He was home early. Odd.</p><p>"Here." You called out blandly, trying to force a little life back into your voice as you heard his footsteps coming towards your room.</p><p>The door opened then, and your eyes widened slightly as they fell upon Sans' form. He looked like the walking dead, dark, prominent circles under his sockets glaring at you against his bone. His normally slouched stature seemed unnaturally hunched, and his impressive height was diminished to that of a normal man, making him look weak and pale. You stayed silent as he stumbled over to the bed, falling onto the mattress next to you and immediately pulling you into a hug, resting most of his immense weight on you, which you struggled to support in your diminished state.</p><p>"did you lose weight?" Sans grumbled a bit, burying his face into the juncture where your neck met your shoulder and breathing in your scent.</p><p>"No." You lied simply, the twinge of guilt you expected to feel at lying to him masked by the dissociative spell hovering at the back of your mind.</p><p>"...is something wrong?"</p><p>You cocked an eyebrow at the question, unsure of how to answer. Was something wrong? According to medical professionals, yeah, I guess, but according to you? You'd done this shit for years, this was nothing new. It was normal. You were a little numb, sure, and maybe not eating as much as you should, but it's not like you were crying or anything. You'd had no panic attacks, no breakdowns, just dissociation, and a little bit of cutting. Was that <em>really</em> so bad?</p><p>...yes. You knew it was.</p><p>"Actually..." You trailed off, unsure of how to tell Sans what was going on.</p><p>You stared down at your hands for a moment, feeling his steady breathing brushing against the skin of your throat as you gathered your thoughts. You'd start with Flowey, then the numbness, then...the cutting. You gathered your courage, finally, <em>finally </em>feeling emotion welling up inside your for the first time in weeks, a sign of courage, a terror, that made you feel alive! Determination, subtle, but there, welled up in your soul, and you felt like you were really breathing for the first time in...who knows how long. You had to tell Sans now, when he was open to hearing you and you were open enough to tell him the truth. You could do this!</p><p>He snored.</p><p>Your heart crashed.</p><p>You couldn't do this.</p><p>You began to shake, the emotion that had been building up in your soul, the determination that had finally come back twisting and souring into a familiar sense of abject terror and suffocating panic. As gently as you could, you shifted Sans so he was laying on the bed, glancing out the window to see the sun was setting. Knowing you couldn't spend another night alone on the kitchen floor, staring into the darkness. Knowing that you had to get out of here, to stop plaguing their lives with your problems, to stop <em>burdening the</em><em>m!</em></p><p>As calmly as you could in your circumstances, you reached over and grabbed the book you'd been reading for the sixth or seventh time and a pen that sat beside it, roughly tearing out the first page and using the hardcover of the book to scratch out a sloppily written message on the paper.</p><p>"I'm sorry I've burdened you for so long. I've run away into the city. I love you but I can't keep wasting your time and money. I won't keep hurting you. Please forgive me. I love you so much."</p><p>You set that gently on the nightstand next to your phone, hands shaking as you tried to keep it quiet. You knew it didn't offer much of an explanation but you were too incoherent at the moment to care. You stumbled to your feet, panic setting in as your shaking intensified, your breaths coming in short, shallow gasps as you struggled to pull in air. You had to get out of here, <em>now</em>. To stop bothering them by existing, to stop wasting their time and money and love. Flowey's words echoed in your mind.</p><p>
  <em>"Well, that's a relief, because even if you weren't we really wouldn't care anyway."</em>
</p><p>He was right. </p><p>...</p><p>You were outside. How did you get outside? You didn't remember leaving the apartment. It didn't matter, you reasoned. You had to get out of the apartment complex and away from this place as fast as you could before Papyrus came home. He, bless his heart, cared more about others than he did himself, so he wouldn't let you do this for them because both he and you knew that you'd probably end up dying eventually.</p><p>They would be happier if you did.</p><p>The realization struck you like a bullet, and you grasped at your chest as a horrible pain flashed inside you, making you crumple over and dry heave as you barreled down the stairs of your apartment. Stumbling around blindly, you finally managed to escape the building, breathing in the cold, crisp air of a late autumn night and shivering as it touched your ill protected skin. You were adorned in a sweater, but you knew even that wouldn't last long in this weather.</p><p>Freezing to death, huh? Not how you'd imagined it, but what happens, happens.</p><p>With that thought, you took off in a sprint, a mad dash to put as much distance between you and the apartment as you could. You didn't pay any attention to where you were going or what turns you took, winding further and further into the labyrinth that made up your city. Very quickly, you were well and truly lost, in a part of the city you had never seen before. Your energy was gone, the lack of food and proper sleep in these past few weeks catching up on you as your adrenaline and twisted determination dwindled. You pushed on, hot tears running down your face to quickly become freezing cold.</p><p>A frigid droplet hit your face.</p><p>You froze in your place, and stood, flabbergasted, as you stared up at the sky, watching as the crowd of oblivious city-goers disappeared in avoidance of the sudden downpour that fell from the sky. They scattered like ants, the rain falling so suddenly and violently it knocked the wind out of you. You merely laughed, every ounce of warmth and determination being seeped painfully from your body as you limped forward, a numb acceptance falling over you.</p><p>You were going to die out here.</p><p>After what felt like eons, you bumped against something as cold and hard as steel and looked down to see a park bench beneath you. You looked up through the rain that was so cold it may as well have been hail and noticed you were in the middle of a very small park, one that you didn't recognize. Morbidly, you hoped that no one you knew would find your body so that they wouldn't have to carry that burden.</p><p>As far as final resting places go, it didn't seem so bad. You sobbed anyway.</p><p>Exhausted, miserable, depressed, you slumped down onto the unforgiving bench, feeling the cold metal only serve to suck the warmth from your body faster. You felt a bit of relief as the rain gradually slowed to a stop, and you sighed and closed your eyes. The last thing you thought of before you let yourself succumb to sleep was the happy grin on your family's face you knew you'd never see again.</p><p>********</p><p>"OH, THANK GOODNESS! HUMAN, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? CAN YOU HEAR ME?"</p><p>Wait, you recognized that booming tone. Familiar, warm, worried, the too-loud voice reminding you of a sense of home you didn't recognize. Your eyes felt frozen shut, much like the rest of you, that had passed cold and moved into a numb, almost warm territory. It felt as if you moved, your skin would crack and break. Your breaths were long and slow, pulling in air so frigid that it burned your lungs but made you feel strangely alive.</p><p>"DO NOT WORRY, SMALL HUMAN. THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL SAVE YOU!"</p><p>You flinched slightly as warm phalanges came to rest on your arm, the sensation so foreign and hot against your skin that it burned like a hot iron. You stifled a scream as heat flooded through you, your blood moving like sludge through your veins as you started to awaken. The pain was quickly washed away, as the smell of honey and static filled the air, and you recognized the feeling of healing magic washing over you.</p><p>Papyrus. Papyrus was there, and he was healing you. <em>Papyrus was here and he was healing you. </em>You almost sobbed as an overwhelming amount of emotions slammed into you. Relief, guilt, happiness. They had looked for you! They cared enough to search for you! You were alive!</p><p>
  <em>You were alive!</em>
</p><p>A bright, hopeful smile stretched itself across your face as you forced your eyes open, looking down to immediately see Papyrus leaning over you, the early morning sun illuminating you from behind him. He had a look of intense concentration and desperation on his face, unaware that you were looking at him with a tearful grin. His gloves lay on the ground next to the bench, discarded as he placed his bones directly against the fabric of your sweater. His magic was warming you, allowing you to breathe easier and quickening the slow beat of your heart.</p><p>"Papy?" You coughed out, your grin firmly in place as you reached your hand out towards him to place it on his head.</p><p>Papyrus' attention immediately snapped to you, a large, relieved smile appearing on his face as he dipped down, pulling you into a hug. You laughed, your newfound hope and life making you giddy as you wrapped your weakened arms around him. In a smooth movement, he scooped you up into his arms, shifting your weight to carry you effortlessly on one arm as he stood. He bent down quickly to grab his gloves before tucking them into your lap. You looked up at him to question what he was doing when he used his now free hand to pull off his large, red scarf, muttering to himself about silly humans as he wrapped it around your neck.</p><p>You brought a frigid hand up to touch the warm, honey-scented fabric now covering your neck, lower face, and a large part of your shoulders. Tears pricked your eyes at the touching gesture, leaning into Papyrus' shoulder like a child as emotions continued to well up inside you.</p><p>"I AM SO GLAD I FOUND YOU, Y/N. WE HAVE ALL BEEN SEARCHING FOR YOU ALL NIGHT! EVERYONE IS WORRIED SICK! I MUST GET YOU BACK HOME AT ONCE!" </p><p>You scowled a bit in confusion, looking up at Papyrus' face as he carried you through the empty park. A couple of people shot you and Papyrus odd glances, especially considering the skeleton's almost ten-foot height, but Papyrus and by default you ignored them. Your concern was more focused on what he'd said moments before, something that sent a new twinge of nerves and hope through you.</p><p>"We?"</p><p>Papyrus glanced down at you, his face adorned with an expression of "silly humans and their questions with obvious answers." You stared up at him expectantly, shivering slightly as the cold began to bleed back into your clothes and under your skin. He held you a little tighter, quickening his pace as he wound knowledgeably through the many twists and turns in the unfamiliar section of the city.</p><p>"YES, WE! EVERYONE HAS BEEN WORKING VERY HARD TO DO WHAT THEY COULD TO FIND YOU. WHEN I AWOKE SANS FROM HIS NAP A LITTLE LESS THAN AN HOUR AFTER HE'D GOTTEN HOME FROM HIS PLACE OF WORK, HE'D FOUND YOUR NOTE AND WE IMMEDIATELY CALLED TORIEL AND SHE ROUND UP EVERY MONSTER WE HAD KNOWN IN THE UNDERGROUND TO GO SEARCHING FOR YOU. HONESTLY, I AM SURPRISED I ENDED UP BEING THE ONE TO FIND YOU. I DID NOT THINK YOU WOULD COME TO SUCH A SECLUDED PART OF THE CITY, AS YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN THERE!" Papyrus exclaimed, sounding proud of himself.</p><p>"Well, Papy, that was kinda the point. I didn't think I'd ever need to find my way back." You chuckled, your tone sad and self-deprecating.</p><p>Papyrus stumbled, making you jolt and grab onto his shirt, before he stopped, the arm supporting your weight tightening around you to draw you closer to him. You looked back up from where you'd been watching the city, alarmed, to see a look of saddened realization on his face, which made your stomach clench.</p><p>"You Did Not Intend On Coming Back, Did You?" Papyrus asked, his voice practically a whisper.</p><p>"...No."</p><p>He drew in a large breath.</p><p>"PLEASE, DO NOT DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN. WE...I DO NOT WANT TO LOSE YOU." Papyrus said, his tone more sad and desperate than you had ever heard from the upbeat skeleton.</p><p>You swallowed thickly as tears started to flow down your cheeks, the smile that had faded on your journey returning in full force. Being here, carried by Papyrus, you wondered to yourself why you would ever want to leave them in the first place. But of course, you knew why. You knew that you had done it selflessly.</p><p>"Okay, Papy." You whispered, and he let out a satisfied hum.</p><p>After that, both of you fell silent, the city growing brighter and brighter as the sun slowly climbed over the horizon. It was still too early for many people to be out and about, maybe around six in the morning or so? You were a bit surprised at how many turns and odd alleyways you and Papyrus had to pass through in order to get back to the apartment, and it took nearly an hour for you two to get to an area of the city you remembered. No wonder it had taken them so long to find you, you'd gone much farther than you'd intended. You tensed a bit as the two of you approached your apartment building, and a strange sense of anticipation and nervousness filled you as the reality of your situation began to set in.</p><p>You'd run away from your apartment, done a horrible job of attempting to kill yourself with only a poorly written and very cryptic note to give everyone an idea as to why you had fled so suddenly, and you'd wasted everyone's time on trying to find you. They were probably exhausted and irritated, having spent the whole night looking for your dumbass only to find you'd been taking a power nap several miles away and hadn't even done the one thing you'd left to accomplish. They were probably going to be <em>furious! </em>You gulped as you imagined the enraged look on Undyne's face, the disappointment on Toriel's, and who knows what horrible expression Sans would have when he caught sight of you next. He would probably hate you for this.</p><p>"Hey, Papy? Can I ask you a question before we go in?" You asked timidly, and Papyrus' stopped a few feet from the entrance of the building.</p><p>"OF COURSE, HUMAN. WHAT IS IT?" </p><p>"Where am I gonna live now?" You forced out, and Papyrus snapped his gaze from where it had been watching a couple pass to look down to you, the expression on his face so incredulous it was almost amusing.</p><p>"WHAT A RIDICULOUS THING TO SAY! YOU'LL LIVE HERE, WITH US, AS YOU ALWAYS HAVE!" Papyrus said gallantly, approaching the door and swinging it open with gusto.</p><p>You relaxed a little at that, though you forced down a bit of hope that rose in your chest. Papyrus was sweet, forgiving, and naive. Of course, <em>he </em>didn't think anything would change, but he would never kick you out for anything you'd done. Sans and the others, though they loved you, were not as forgiving in that area. They would never tell Papyrus, but they may already have your things packed for you as soon as you stepped into your apartment.</p><p>In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Papyrus and you were approaching the front door to your apartment. You took in a deep breath, trying to keep your nerves at bay as Papyrus unlocked the door. He stopped a moment before entering, his hand resting on the knob of the door with hesitance. You looked up at him for a moment, perplexed, to see him looking down at you questioningly.</p><p>"Are You Ready?" He murmured.</p><p>A feeling of dread settled over you at the odd question, and you tensed. Too nervous to answer, you closed your eyes, the anticipation of the moment growing nearly unbearable as you heard muffled voices on the other side of the door. You just had to get it over with, rip off the band-aid. You would only get more nervous if you sat there waiting like a turkey waiting for Thanksgiving night. You took a deep breath and reopened your eyes, your gaze meeting Papyrus' eyelights. He sat patiently as you gathered your courage.</p><p>You nodded.</p><p>Papyrus turned the knob and the quiet chattering inside your apartment stopped, along with your heart. You fought the urge to bury yourself into Papyrus' scarf further as he slowly opened the door, stepping into the room to extend to his full height, giving you the perfect vantage to see the entirety of the room. Your breaths came in short gasps as you looked out over the threshold of your kitchen, your eyes widening at the scene laid out before you.</p><p>On the far left, draped unceremoniously across the armrest of your couch, was Undyne, holding Alphys in her lap and clinging to the smaller lizard monster like a lifeline. They both looked exhausted, covered in grime with dark circles under their eyes. Their attention was trained completely on you, a look of shock and relief on their faces and Undyne slumped in her chair. Alphys stared at you with a large grin, adjusting her glasses a bit as if trying to see you better.</p><p>In the center of the room, sitting at the far end of the table, was Asgore, holding Frisk to his chest as she cried unceremoniously. He was dressed in a tank top and jeans, fur disheveled and damp with what you could only assume was rainwater. Frisk's attention snapped to Papyrus as soon as he walked in, then drifted down to you with a look of shock more expressive than you ever usually saw on her. Asgore looked completely relieved, his grip tightening on Frisk as she straightened in his hold, looking at you like she'd found a real unicorn.</p><p>On the far right of the room, leaning against the counter, was Grillby, holding a phone in his hand like he'd been talking to someone before you came in. Your eyes widened and your brows shot up as you looked at the fire monster, shock running through you as you met his eyes. You could see no clear expression on his face, but by the way his agitated flames seemed to calm down a bit, and his shoulders slumped, you would guess he was either relieved or disappointed. Damn, when Papyrus said they'd called every monster they knew, you didn't know that he'd meant that literally.</p><p>You cleared your throat awkwardly as everyone stared at you, dropping your gaze to the floor. Papyrus kneeled down a bit, setting you on your feet before straightening. you swayed a bit, weak and cold from your time outside, and Papyrus reached out a hand to steady you. The silence and tension in the room were deafening, and you tensed as you heard Asgore take in a sharp breath.</p><p>"Y/n?" Frisk's soft voice pulled your attention away from yourself as you looked up to meet the child's eyes.</p><p>Her sharp intake of breath was your only warning before she squirmed out of Asgore's lap like he was on fire, sprinting past the table to come barreling into you. You opened your arms at the last second, catching her in your embrace as she leaped towards you, sobbing violently. Had it not been for Papyrus' legs behind you, and his steady grasp on your shoulder, you would've fallen then, Frisk's weight throwing you completely off balance.</p><p>"Frisk, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" You asked, worry and confusion tinting your voice as she clawed her way closer to you, shoving her face into your chest.</p><p>"Why is she crying! Because of you, you idiot! You scared us, disappearing like that, with some cryptic note like you were gonna...gonna...Jesus!" Undyne's angry voice startled you as she shot up from her place on the couch, Alphys scrambling off her lap just in time. The broken, terrified tone the end of her sentence took chilled your veins, and you knew that they knew what you planned to do.</p><p>"I...I'm so sorry." You murmured, unable to meet Undyne's eye as she stalked up to you.</p><p>Alphys called out to Undyne as she approached, her body tense as she towered threateningly over you. You wrapped your body around Frisk, trying to protect her as you prepared yourself for Undyne's blow. Papyrus tensed behind you, shooting Undyne a warning glare, which she ignored. Grillby and Asgore tensed as well, staying where they were but prepared to jump to your defense at any sign of danger.</p><p>Everyone was shocked as Undyne fell to her knees and pulled you into a side hug, startling so badly you almost fell over. Everyone relaxed, and you released Frisk to instead return Undyne's hug, a shaky relieved smile sprawled across your face. The hug was short, her letting you go only seconds later and standing abruptly, muttering to herself as she walked back to where Alphys was waiting. Frisk still hadn't let go of you, and you looped your arms loosely around her again, smiling gently.</p><p>"I am going to call Toriel and tell her we found Y/n." Grillby's smooth, crackling voice interrupted the silence, and you moved to look at the flame monster, who gave you a gentle smile as he clicked the screen of his phone on and brought it up to his ear.</p><p>"Come sit down, Y/n. You must be exhausted." Asgore called from the table, pulling out one of the chairs and gesturing for you to sit down.</p><p>You walked over to the table, shooting Asgore a grateful smile as you pulled away from the hug and opted to take Frisk's hand instead, leading her back to her father who picked her up and placed her back in his lap. You took a seat by the former king, a wave of exhaustion sweeping over you as you slumped heavily into your seat. Asgore reached over and set a large, warm paw on your back, rubbing in soothing circles. You dropped your head to the table in exhaustion as Papyrus pulled out the chair next to you, sitting close.</p><p>It was...nice.</p><p>Suddenly, the door slammed open so hard it shook the frame of the room, and your head snapped up, Asgore's hand falling from your back.</p><p>Your eyes met Sans' widened sockets, his eyelights dilating immediately as they rested upon your face. Behind him stood a disoriented Toriel, staring into the apartment like she'd been in another area moments before. Instantly, Sans was at your side, scooping you up so quickly you barely had time to react before he was on the floor, clutching you to his chest and sobbing violently. </p><p>You were being held so tightly in his arms you couldn't move, the scent of cedar filling your nose as his magic bled out into the room. Papyrus cried out in alarm and knelt by his brother, trying to figure out why Sans was crying and why he had fallen so gracelessly onto the ground. Sans babbled incoherently as he wrapped himself further and further around you, his huge frame engulfing you until all you could see was his hoodie and the glint of white bones.</p><p>You yelped slightly as your world tilted, and Sans, along with you, was lifted from his place on the floor. He tightened his grip even further, so much so you were sure it would bruise if it got any tighter. It took you a moment to realize that Papyrus had picked you both up, and then set Sans and you gently on the couch beside Undyne and Alphys before squeezing in on the other side, his ungloved hands hovering over Sans for a moment before pulling away completely.</p><p>You tucked your nose into Sans' chest as he cried, humming softly and doing your best to comfort him. Seeing him in so much pain hurt you, and you immediately felt crushed with guilt as his agonized sobs echoed through the silent room. Through the spaces in between his bones, you could see Toriel coming over to the couch to kneel beside it, putting a soothing paw on your arm.</p><p>On your bare arm.</p><p>Shit.</p><p>"My child, what are these marks on your arm?" She asked softly, and every muscle in your body tensed, and you had to fight the urge to rip your arm from her grasp as she stretched it out, rolling up the sleeves with a soft gasp.</p><p>Sans pulled back from you then, letting you sit up in his lap as he lifted his head to follow the goat woman's gaze. He still held you tightly in his grasp, and you tensed as his grip on you constricted, a strangled sound forcing its way from his mouth. You stared down at your own arms, still mangled with fresh cuts. You felt exposed, terrified of the others' reaction as every eye in the room was trained on what you'd done. You felt your sins crawling up your back.</p><p>"Oh, Y/n," She hummed sadly, bringing her paw up to touch the marks.</p><p>You flinched violently and tried to pull away, but Sans' grip on your waist and Toriel's grasp on your wrist was too strong, and they stopped you. You slumped a bit as her fur touched your cuts, hissing in a breath as they smarted under her careful touch. Sans let out a warning growl that vibrated through you, his eyelight glowing blue and washing your skin with the color. Toriel ignored his warning, a look of concentration on her face as her paw began to glow with healing magic. The cuts disappeared, itching as they closed themselves up under your gaze. Sans relaxed then, bringing his hand up to pet soothingly over your hair.</p><p>"oh, sweetheart. i'm so sorry. you've been hurting so badly and i...i... why didn't you come to me?" Sans whispered into your ear, tucking you further into himself as Toriel finished with your arm and moved to the other, her eyes sad.</p><p>"You and Papy were busy and tired. It wasn't that bad, I just ran out of my meds and didn't want to ask either of you to take me to get them refilled." You replied just as softly, humiliated.</p><p>"YOU CAN ALWAYS COME TO MY BROTHER AND ME, Y/N. HE MIGHT BE LAZY, BUT SANS WOULD BE MORE THAN WILLING TO TAKE YOU TO REFILL YOUR PRESCRIPTION, AS WOULD I." Papyrus offered, his hand falling on your shoulder comfortingly.</p><p>"A-and I know that U-undyne and I aren't a-always around but w-we'd be more than h-happy to help, just give us a c-call." Alphys offered, and Undyne nodded, a sharp smile flashing on her face.</p><p>"My husband and I will also be happy to assist whenever you need it, whether or not we are currently with you," Toriel interjected softly, giving you a pointed look.</p><p>"and please, don't say it wasn't that bad. you were so depressed you started to cut your own skin again. and you tried to run away because you felt like so much of a burden. you being in that much pain is a big deal to me. to all of us. i'm so sorry i didn't see it happening. i'm so sorry you were alone." Sans' voice broke and he began to cry again, the sound shattering your aching heart.</p><p>You brought your free hand to cover his as he clutched onto your dirty sweater, burying his face into your neck. Tears started to slide down your cheeks as you looked at everyone sitting around you, from the ever-confident Undyne to the sweet Papyrus, each one giving you looks of so much love and support it was almost too much for you to bear. Toriel carefully rolled down your sleeve as she finished, standing to press a soft kiss to your head. You choked back a sob as she pressed her face against hers, giving you a quick hug before pulling away and moving to stand beside Asgore.</p><p>"I think it's time we head home. It's been a long night and we all need our rest." Toriel said, looking down at Frisk who was leaning heavily into Asgore's chest.</p><p>"OF COURSE, LADY ASGORE. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP." Papyrus said kindly, and she smiled, giving you a reassuring look before she took Asgore's hand and led him out of the apartment, Frisk following sleepily behind after giving you a small wave goodbye.</p><p>You returned her wave, sadness piercing your heart as you watched them leave. Sans didn't react, clinging tightly to you and crying quietly, gulping in your scent like you could disappear any moment. You traced your fingers over his bone, trying to reassure him, but unsure of what you could do to help. You turned your head, pressing a soft kiss onto his skull and meeting Alphys' gaze, giving her a small smile. She smiled back before moving to stand, leading Undyne with her.</p><p>"We should get back home too, runt. I'm glad you're not dead. Don't pull that stunt again, okay? I'll see you later." Undyne said, patting your head passingly as she and Alphys let themselves out.</p><p>"Goodbye, Y/n. Stop by sometime for a chat." Grillby's voice came from the door, startling you, and you gave him a small smile and a wave, a silent promise to honor his request.</p><p>Then, it was just you, Sans, and Papyrus.</p><p>"I AM GOING TO START A WARM BATH FOR THE HUMAN. THEY ARE QUITE DIRTY AND COLD." Papyrus said, standing, and you almost begged him to stay, afraid of what Sans would say, but he was gone before you could speak.</p><p>Silence.</p><p>"I'm so sorry. I didn't think...I didn't..." You started, swallowing thickly. "I didn't think you'd care. I thought you'd be happier if I was dead." </p><p>Sans tensed, going completely rigid as a loud sob ripped itself from his teeth. You began to panic, choking on your fear as you worried you'd hurt him again in some way, when suddenly, he flipped you around so that you were straddling him, your face inches away from his, both eyelights so small you could barely see them as they searched over your face. Blue tears were staining his cheeks, bright and glaring against his bleached white bone</p><p>"if you had died last night because i hadn't been a good enough boyfriend to notice how much you were hurting, i would've followed soon after. you have no idea, how much i love you, little one. my perfect sweetheart, so wonderful and broken. i was supposed to always take care of you, and i failed you, so badly. if you'll let me, i promise never to make that mistake again." Sans' voice was intense and honest, and your eyes widened at his promise, your breath caught in your throat.</p><p>"I love you so much." You sobbed, resting your forehead against his as tears began to flow hotly down your cheeks for the thousandth time tonight.</p><p>You felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from you, as if you were finally able to breathe after spending days, weeks, slowly suffocating. It was so relieving you slumped forwards in Sans' grasp. He caught you effortlessly, shushing you gently as he ran a bony hand down your back in a soothing pattern, petting you like a cat. You stayed like that until Papyrus came back into the room, announcing that your bath was finished. You moved to get up off of Sans' lap, but he stopped you, shushing you again as he scooped you up and held you flush against him like you'd carry a toddler.</p><p>You relaxed against him, exhaustion making your limbs heavy and shaky as you tried to hold yourself up to help him. He just hummed softly and didn't complain, carrying you to the bathroom with Papyrus following close behind, holding a large, soft white towel carefully in his phalanges. When you reached the bathroom, Sans set you down on the closed toilet seat, and you began to stand, expecting him to leave, when he placed a hand gently on your shoulder. You looked at him oddly as he smiled down at you, guilt in his eyes. You widened your eyes at his expression, brow furrowing as you studied his face.</p><p>"let us take care of everything for a while, okay? you need a break, and i need to make sure that you're okay. please." Sans begged, and you looked past him, up to Papyrus, who had a similar, hopeful, and innocent expression on his face.</p><p>"Okay," You agreed, and both skeletons seemed to relax, Papyrus going to sit by the tub with a happy smile, his tall torso rising easily over the lip of the bath.</p><p>Sans smiled down at you gently, kneeling by you to better suit his massive frame to your current sitting height. With ease, he grabbed the bottom of your sweater and pulled it over your head, pressing a soft kiss on your stomach and making you giggle at the sensation, which served to lighten the heavy atmosphere of the room. Then, in quick succession, taking no more time than necessary, he removed the rest of your clothing, his hands lingering on your bare skin as if he was worried you would disappear at any moment. You just sat there complacently, letting out a little squeak as he picked you up and sat you into the warm water of the bath, taking a seat next to his brother.</p><p>The water was hot enough to be comfortable without burning your skin, and you relaxed into the sensation, melting as the heat seeped into your muscles and turned them into jelly. Sans ran his hand over your ribs that jutted out against your skin, and you blushed, a little embarrassed at how much weight you'd lost. Papyrus looked down at you sadly, then a look of determination flashed in his eyes and he straightened, startling both you and Sans.</p><p>"I MUST MAKE SPAGHETTI SO THAT YOU CAN REGAIN YOUR STRENGTH! AFTER WE ALL GET SOME SLEEP, I WILL PREPARE IT FOR DINNER!" Papyrus announced proudly, and you and Sans relaxed a bit, smiling at his antics.</p><p>"pap, can you hand me the washcloth?" Sans requested, and Papyrus nodded, handing him the small square and a rose body wash.</p><p>Sans dunked the cloth into the bath and poured on too much body wash, making you chuckle softly. He gave you a small smile and dipped it in the water again, before scrubbing it together to lather up the soap. Papyrus, eager to help, grabbed a cup that sat on the lip of the tub and filled it with water, leaning forward so that he could pour it over your head. You tipped your head back and closed your eyes as he poured the water over your hair, sighing softly as the warm liquid heated your scalp. Sans brought the cloth up to your leg, rubbing it gently in small circles to simultaneously massage your calf and clean out the grime.</p><p>Papyrus began to shampoo your hair, paying careful attention to every movement with meticulous care you didn't usually see in the taller skeleton. Together, they worked to fully clean you, and by the time they'd finished their ministrations and begin to drain the tub, you were so warm and relaxed you were falling asleep, your head resting against the side of the tub. You shivered as the water drained away, your brows drawing together as you whined in discomfort.</p><p>You heard a soft chuckle that you distantly registered was Sans before you felt his hand come to rest against your face, his touch feather-light, his thumb pressing softly on the space between your brows to smooth out the wrinkles caused by your discomfort. You relaxed, subconsciously leaning into the touch as a pair of arms picked you up, and Sans' hand drew away from your face to wrap a towel around your frame. You were passed from Papyrus to Sans then, and you leaned into your boyfriend's embrace. He pressed a soft kiss to your cheek as he carried you out of the bathroom.</p><p>You fought to open your eyes after a few moments, and were a bit disoriented to find yourself in Sans and your shared bedroom. Sans carried you over to the bed and set you down, and you quickly had to tighten your core to keep yourself from toppling over. Your eyes were dry and tired, and you wanted nothing more than to go to sleep, watching as Sans moved away from you to grab a pair of your pajamas, some underwear, and another towel.</p><p>He moved over to kneel in front of you, setting the clothes on the bed beside you and opening the folded towel. He then used it to gently dry your hair, taking that towel and the one wrapped around you and placing them on the floor after making sure you were perfectly dry. Then, before you could even get the chance to start shivering again, he pulled the sleep shirt over your head, gently guiding your arms as you struggled to get them into the proper holes in your fuzzy mindset. He didn't chastise you, waiting patiently until you had finished to put on your underwear and sleep shorts, before finally pulling you into a tight hug.</p><p>You blinked a few times as the overhead lights suddenly flicked off, the soft glow of the morning through the cracks in the drapes covering your window the only things illuminating your room. Sans chuckled again as he scooped you up in his arms, laying you out on the bed before pulling off his own clothes, quickly changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top that was clean before slipping into bed behind you. He pulled you close to his chest, a rumbling purr growing in his ribcage as he snuggled into you. You fought to stay awake to enjoy this moment, a smile stretching itself across your face. Sans pressed a soft kiss to your head and wrapped himself around you.</p><p>"just go to sleep, my little one. i won't let what happened last night ever happen again, okay? papy is going out to get your meds, and everything will be okay. just go to sleep, i'll protect you. i love you so much." And just before you fell asleep, you flashed him your best, brightest grin, though you knew he wouldn't be able to see it.</p><p>"I love you too."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Another one of my personal fics, posted both as its own story and here, so sorry again if you run into it twice! I got my first actual request and I'm so excited! I'm going to have it done by tomorrow morning, so thank you so much for a request! Comment your thoughts! I love you all!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Beat of my Heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You were so. Fucking. Tired. And. Stressed.</p><p> </p><p>And, of course, Sans couldn't have that.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A lovely oneshot request from an anonymous source! I hope I did you proud!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The moment you woke up from a nightmare you were already forgetting, you could <em>sense </em>that today was going to be a bad day.</p><p>The bed that you and your boyfriend shared had been cold and empty when you awoke, leaving you lonely and disoriented as you sat up in the morning. It took you an embarrassingly long amount of time to remember that Sans had work early today, and he would probably be back home sometime in the late afternoon. You groaned in annoyance, scrubbing a hand across your face and running it through your very disheveled hair, tugging ruthlessly at the knots that caught in your fingers.</p><p>With a huff, you forced yourself out of bed, thankful that you didn't have a shift until 8. You glanced over at the alarm clock by your bed, glaring at it heatedly. The numbers 6:48 glared back at you, and you let out a silent prayer of thanks to whatever deity would listen that you had woken up in time to take a proper shower. Blearily, you stumbled around your room, through the mess of you and Sans' shared room, scavenging around to find a clean uniform. Yawning widely, you carried the bundle of clothes with you into your bathroom and turned on the shower.</p><p>From that point onward, your day spiraled.</p><p>It started with the shower. From the hot water mysteriously not working in the middle of your shampooing, forcing you to take the rest of your shower in freezing cold water, to the fact that you'd run out of conditioner and it made your hair scratchy and gross, and impossible to detangle. You struggled with it for as long as time allowed before you finally decided to just say fuck it and leave it alone. Then, you accidentally stepped on your uniform top as you stepped out of the shower, soaking a large spot into the front and making you groan loudly in frustration.</p><p>Things just worsened from then on, as tiny events after tiny events seemed to plague you as you left for work. You'd spent so long on your hair that you were in a hurry, you couldn't find one of your socks so you just went without it, your belt hole caught in the doorknob of your room as you tried to leave, you burnt your mouth on the coffee you brewed, you ran out of creamer and your favorite sugar so you poured the scalding liquid distastefully down the drain, finally managing to gather everything you needed to start your walk to your work.</p><p>When you got there, things were chaotic as all get out, customers being extra annoying and unruly as a family of 11 (yes, <em>11</em>) walked into the shop, coming through like a whirlwind and forcing you, and your sweetheart of a coworker to slave away for the better part of your shift, trying to salvage what you could and make the rest look presentable. Finally, <em>finally</em>, you got off your shift, remembering your lack of creamer and conditioner and making a mental note that you needed to go shopping. You stopped in your track on your way home as you remembered that A) Sans would be working late today, B) Sans had your car, C) You were closer to the store now than you would be if you went home and changed first, so you would have to go now, with a rats nest of hair, a shabby retail uniform, and a scowl that made people move out of your path as you approached them.</p><p>Your irritation growing steadily every minute, you stalked to the nearest grocery store, drawing stares as you glowered at every living thing that dared to meet your eyes. As quickly as you could, you flew through the isles, picking up the items from this morning, and anything else you remembered that either Sans had requested or that you had assumed you would need to cook dinner tonight. You'd ended up with more things than you'd intended to buy, your arms aching as you carried your basket over to the register.</p><p>One of the handles of your basket broke as you approached the register, and you had to crawl on the floor like an idiot to pick them up. People gave you apologetic glances as they passed by, but your mood only continued to sour as not a single person bothered to be nice enough to help you back up. You glowered up at them with such a sour look that anyone who tried to approach you backed off immediately, even if that wasn't necessarily your intention.</p><p>Finally, you managed to get all of your items on the belt, using the hem of your polo to rub off some dirt that had gotten on a couple of apples. The woman at the register, an older lady with a scowl on her face that could've rivaled your own, watched you judgingly, scoffing every few moments as she slowly scanned your item, muttering her opinions under her breath. You did your best to ignore her, though the rage that had been building up in your chest through the day threatened to bubble up and explode as she glowered at you. After what felt like hours, she concluded her scanning, tapping at her screen at a pace reminiscent of Flash from Zootopia, and reading out your total to you.</p><p>You reached into your back pocket, struggling for a few minutes to get your wallet out with fumbling fingers. She watched you with a look of complete scorn and judgment, and you would have wilted under her gaze if it hadn't pissed you off so much. You managed to retrieve your wallet, opening it deftly and slipping out your credit card, handing it to the cashier. She glared at you and swiped it, a sneer creeping over her face as she read the screen, looking back up at you intensely.</p><p>"Declined."</p><p>You stifled a groan as you plucked the card from her pruney fingers, too pissed and tired of the day to argue with her right now. Instead, you shoved it back into your wallet, fumbling around and pulling out your cash, making sure to give her a little more than necessary just to watch her roll her eyes as she rummaged through the register to give you your change.</p><p>As you finished, you approached the bagger, who gave you an apologetic smile and handed you far too many plastic bags for you to carry comfortably. So, after somehow managing to hang them all on your arms with no small amount of difficulty, you started your way back home, your arms aching as you approached the automatic doors of the store. You looked up from where you'd been messing with one of the bags to check outside, only to have your heart sink down and plop into your stomach.</p><p>It was raining.</p><p>And no, it wasn't just gently raining, or even a nice drizzle, because that would be too merciful for you, of course. No, no, no, this was a full-on fucking <em>downpour</em>, like someone had released a dam on the skies just over your city. Knowing that such a downpour as this wouldn't let up anytime soon, you realized with a sinking sensation of dread that you would have to walk home in this drenching torrent.</p><p>And walk home you did.</p><p>It was brutal. You were freezing, the heavy weight pulling down your arms seeming to increase with every step as acrid, frigid droplets pummeled you relentlessly. Halfway home, you began to cry, your determination seeping away from you as you stumbled down the sidewalk. As your house came into view, you sobbed out in relief, though it was quickly overshadowed by a crushing disappointment as you noticed your driveway was empty.</p><p> Fuck, you <em>really</em> wanted Sans right now.</p><p>After fumbling around with your doorknob for a while, your wet, numb fingers slipping frustratingly as you tried to open the door. Hot, salty tears streamed down your face only to be immediately washed away by the rain, which showed no signs of stopping or slowing. Your throat burned as you let out a scream of anger and defeat, the sound drowned out by the thundering thrumming of water pelting on the earth. Finally, you managed to open your door, practically spilling into your kitchen as you fell into your doorway, your door slamming behind you.</p><p>As soon as you hit the floor, crumpling gracelessly to your knees, you began to sob openly, too exhausted to even take the bags off of your arms that hung limply at your sides. You began to shudder violently as the cold air of your apartment hit your soaked skin and clothes, chilling you to the bone and making your face flush. You couldn't do anything but cry, however, your arms numb as they hung by your sides.</p><p>Had you not been so miserable, you would've cried out in relief as the door opened behind you.</p><p>"baby, i'm home! are you in he-" Sans' voice cut out abruptly as he caught sight of you crumpled on the floor, still crying and shaking in your wet and filthy uniform. "oh my god, sweetheart, what happened? are you hurt?" </p><p>You looked up from where you'd been staring at the floor to see Sans had moved in front of you, kneeling down to take your face in his hands. You leaned heavily into his touch, letting his warm hands support the weight of your head as happiness flooded through you. Sans was here. Sans would always help you.</p><p>"Bad day." You joked half-heartedly, smiling slightly.</p><p>San smiled back, though it was tainted with sadness and concern. He moved to pick you up when you maneuvered your hand awkwardly to stop him, still tangled up in the soaked plastic. He chuckled slightly before gently working your arms from their traps, being careful not to hurt you wor worsen your situation. Once he had finally gotten them released, he reached over the bags and scooped you up with a tiny bit of difficulty, hugging you to him like a child.</p><p>"Wait, won't you get your hoodie wet?" You asked, pulling away from him a bit to keep your hair from smoking his clothes, though with how wet your body was, you quickly realized it was pointless.</p><p>"oh hush, my clothes are just fine. don't worry about it, 'kay. let's just get you to the bathroom so you can get out of this gross uniform." Sans said, guiding your head to rest on his shoulder.</p><p>You blushed deeply, though he'd done this many times before, burying your face into his neck as it burned with embarrassment. A wave of cold air moved over you, bringing your focus back to your chilled skin and making you shiver harshly. Sans frowned a bit then, clutching you tighter as you finally reached the larger of the bathrooms in your house. He set you down on your feet then, studying you as you swayed, before heading over to the shower and turning it on, turning it to the correct temperature before turning back to where you stood, shivering as you watched him.</p><p>He eyes you with concern, looking torn for a moment before his expression changed to one of resignation. "i'll grab you some fresh clothes and a towel, and you go ahead and get out of those clothes and pop in the shower, okay? i'm gonna start dinner, so i'll be right in the kitchen if you need me, okay?"</p><p>You nodded and he slipped out of the bathroom, pressing a soft kiss to the side of your head as he passed, making your face redden anew. As the door closed behind him with a soft click, you gratefully stripped off your freezing, sopping wet clothes and set them in the sink distastefully before stepping into the shower. your tension melted away as the perfectly hot water washed over you as you pulled the curtain closed behind you, leaving you in a dark, warm cocoon. You stood in the water for several minutes, your eyes closing as you relaxed completely, the stress of the day dissolving under the heavenly stream.</p><p>You heard the door open quietly as Sans reentered the room, shuffling around. You heard him place the clothes on the closed seat of the toilet, before a louder, duller thud sounded through the room. You opened one of your eyes but your vision was blocked by the curtain of your shower, so you waited a moment. Then, you heard a few odd clicking sounds, and your curiosity piqued, tempting you to peer around the curtain.</p><p>Your thoughts were interrupted, however, as you heard footsteps patter over to the shower, before Sans' arm poked through the space between the curtain and the wall, startling you suddenly. your heart warmed, however, to see the fresh bottle of conditioner clutched in his phalanges. You took it, pressing a kiss to his hand with a soft thank you. Shyly, Sans sputtered out an unintelligible response, before you heard his footsteps leave, and the door close behind him.</p><p>Gently, you set the conditioner down on the shelf by your head before you moved away from the spray of water to peek your head around the curtain. You smiled brightly as your eyes immediately met the soft, yellow glow of your favorite vanilla candle, glowing softly as it rested on the lip of the sink. So that explains the odd sounds you heard earlier. You left the curtain partially open to allow some of the steam out and some of the lovely scent of the candle in, humming gently to yourself as you relaxed into the water.</p><p>You took your time in the shower, knowing that you had time if Sans was planning to cook your dinner. Faintly, you heard one of Sans' favorite hip-hop songs play from the kitchen, and you smiled to yourself as the image of him dancing around the kitchen as he cooked the meal filled your head. By the time you'd finished with your shower, your fingers were pruney and you'd begun to fall asleep under the warmth of the stream of water. Reluctantly, you turned off the shower, forcing yourself to leave the warmth and step out onto the mat, quickly wrapping the large, fluffy towel Sans had hung by the shower for you around your waist. </p><p>Singing along to the song that was now playing from the kitchen, one of your favorites that'd you'd been listening to when you first met Sans all that time ago, you dried yourself off, pulling on the cute pair of silken pajamas Sans had brought for you and finally brushing out your hair properly, thankful that it was smooth and shiny with this new, lovely conditioner. Taking in one more breath of the vanilla scent, you blew out the candle, capping it quickly to avoid too much smoke getting in the room. A soft smile settled on your face as you stepped out of the bathroom, the smell of parmesan permeating the air.</p><p>"What's cooking, Sansy? It smells delicious!" You exclaimed happily as you walked into the kitchen, only to see Sans standing there with two plates of perfectly prepared Fettuccini Alfredo with grilled chicken.</p><p>"Wow," You breathed, reaching out to grab the plate out of his non-dominant hand, bringing it up to your nose and breathing deeply.</p><p>Sans blushed shyly, smile widening at your pleased reaction, rubbing the back of his skull with his free hand as he avoided your gaze. You smiled brightly at him, and he relaxed a bit, smiling back and chuckling softly.</p><p>"i'm glad you like it. i was thinking, maybe because you've had such a bad day, we could watch a movie while we eat? if you want to, of course." Sans offered, and you brightened immediately, excitement bubbling inside you.</p><p>"YES! That sounds so fun! Come on, let's go!" You urged, grabbing his hoodie sleeve with your free hand, pulling him along behind you as he laughed, leading him to the couch where you both plopped down.</p><p>Reaching over Sans carefully, as not to dislodge the plate sitting on his lap, you grabbed the remote, turning on the TV and going to your kaleidoscope. Near the top of the list of your movies, you spotted a movie that you knew you both would love. You scrolled down to hover over it, looking over at Sans to ask if he was okay with it. Seeing the glee on your face, he laughed again and nodded, prompting you to start the movie as quickly as you could.</p><p>As the prologue for <em>Beauty and the Beast </em>played out in front of you, you dug into the pasta, grabbing a too big bite and shoving it gracelessly in your mouth, moaning around it as the delicious, creamy taste bloomed over your tongue. Sans smiled at you, ignoring the movie he'd seen thousands of times to instead watch you as you ate sloppily, completely entranced in the movie. Emotions completely morphed your face, even if you'd seen the events of the movie more times than he could count. It was fascinating to see how engrossed you got into the movie.</p><p>As you watched the Beast and Belle begin to fall in love, Sans formed an idea in his mind, setting his and your empty plates to the side as you sat back. You barely spared him a glance as he put an arm around your shoulders, a sly, soft smile on his face as he waited for the perfect moment. Minutes later, the song started, and he set his plan in motion.</p><p>In a smooth movement, he stood in sync with the beast, offering out a hand as he did in the movie, though instead of Belle being the object of his affections, it was the adorable person looking up at him now. You eyed his hand first with confusion, then realization as you took his hand, just as Belle took the beast's hand in the film you were quickly beginning to ignore. He pulled you up to him now, humming as Mrs. Potts began to sing.</p><p>You grinned up at your boyfriend in awe and admiration as he led you effortlessly in a beautiful waltz around your living room, looking deep into your eyes with a dazzling smile as your breath caught in your throat. You gasped as his magic began to glow around you, mirroring in your movements in glittering, swirling patterns. His soul, and yours, began to glow brightly, and your bond with him deepened, filling your eyes with tears of happiness.</p><p>You leaned your head against his head slightly as he continued to lead you around the room, the overwhelming love and happiness you meant spilling out of you as you cried a bit. His ribs then began to rumble as he sang with the song, his voice low and enchanting as the song slowly began to wind down.</p><p>
  <em>"Certain as the sun, Rising in the east, Tale as old as time, Song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast."</em>
</p><p>You smiled against the fabric of his hoodie, sniffling a bit as he hugged you closer, his soul glowing brightly as you pressed a kiss to his chest. Your voice joined softly next to his in the last verse of the song.</p><p>
  <em>"Tale as old as time, Song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast."</em>
</p><p>As the song finished, you slowed to a halt, but your souls continued to glow as the movie played, though you were unable to focus on anything as Sans' magic swirled around you, happy and alive, like the Aroura Borealis. you pulled away from him just enough to look into his eyes, your face stretching out into a smile as tears continued to trail down your cheeks, He smiled back, soft and tender, before leaning down to kiss your tears away. You closed your eyes as his teeth met your lips, and your souls sang out in happiness, your combined love and joy doubled as it looped back to you.</p><p>"I love you so much." You whispered.</p><p>"i love you more."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello, darlings! Please comment! Please! And if you have any requests at all, do let me know! I really hoped you liked this one! I love you all!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Wings of Bone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ink would do anything for his best friend. So when he finds out that her husband has been abusing her for years now, he isn't happy. Especially considering she just entered her third trimester.</p><p>Ink would do anything for his best friend.</p><p>Because he loved her.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello, darlings! Honestly, for some reason, this prompt was kinda hard for me, though I think it turned out better than I thought it would. Tell me your thoughts! Thank you to CupcakeAngel for this idea! I love you all!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ink was very, very excited.</p><p>He looked down at the pretty, purple box in his hands, smiling brightly as he imagined the look on your face as you tore open the packaging, revealing the cute little clothes he'd bought for your baby. You were so, so excited for your little bundle of joy to be born, and Ink wanted to celebrate you entering your third trimester at last! He just knew that this gift would make you so happy, and he loved to see you smile, especially because of him.</p><p>It was for that reason that Ink was making his way over to your house now, knowing that you'd probably be home and that your husband would most likely be at work. Not that he had anything against your husband, of course not. He just wanted this to be a special moment between the two of you, something he could treasure of the years to come. A celebration of the family he knew you were so desperately excited for.</p><p>Ink was practically skipping as he walked down the street towards your small, suburban house on the outskirts of the city, excitement bubbling in him at the prospect of hanging out with his favorite human in all of the AUs. Your neighborhood was quaint, small but friendly, with enough room for your little one to run around happily enough. Ink reasoned he would have to take the kid with him to his house in this universe, and many others, so he could really experience everything the Universe had to offer.</p><p>As he approached your house, his mood abruptly soured as he caught sight of your husband’s shiny, obnoxious car parked in the driveway next to yours. Ink frowned. Your husband was supposed to work on Wednesdays, right? What could he possibly be doing back at home at this time? Suspicion bubble up in his as he quickened his step, quickly coming up to your door. He blanched as he noticed it was slightly ajar</p><p>He heard a scream.</p><p>Ink barreled in through your door, panic bubbling up in his chest as your horrible scream echoed through his mind. His blood chilled as he heard your husband’s angry shout echo through the house, and he instantly teleported to your living room, where the screams had come from. He stumbled back, his eyes widening at the scene before him. There you were, curled up in a ball on the ground, with your hands covering your stomach and tears streaming down your face.</p><p>Ink’s hands shook as he glanced over to your offender, his blood beginning to boil as he stared into the angry gaze of your husband, who reeked of alcohol. Ink tightened his hands into fists, quickly reaching back and unstrapping his paintbrush, fury making his body tremble. Your husband sneered at him, face morphed into an ugly snarl as he moved forward to land a kick on your already bruised skin.</p><p>Ink saw red.</p><p> </p><p>********</p><p> </p><p>Ink was there.</p><p>You husband had come home like he did many other days, though he usually didn’t get this bad until after dark. He reeked of vodka and sex, and the moment he’d stepped through the door, too pissed and drunk to even properly close it behind him, you knew that today was going to be a bad day.</p><p>You hadn’t anticipated Ink.</p><p>You husband wasn’t an idiot. He never hit your face, avoided your neck as best as possible, and made sure that he was subtle. He also never kicked your stomach, as a sudden miscarriage would’ve been difficult to explain away to a doctor. Mostly, it was your legs and arms, sometimes your back. Easily concealed, with sweaters and jeans. He made sure of that.</p><p>You’d wanted to tell Ink. You’d almost done it thousands of times, when the nights got really bad, and you were left on the floor, trembling and miserable as one could be. You were so alone and scared, and you knew Ink would do anything to protect you. But your husband was careful. Never leaving you two alone for very long, threatening you with violence, and killing your baby, and even attacking Ink. So you stayed silent.</p><p>But it clearly wasn’t a secret anymore.</p><p>Ink was more than furious. you could see it on his face, in his blood red eyelights as he leaped towards your husband, swinging his paintbrush and flinging a flurry of red paint across his form. You stared up at them with wide, fearful eyes, trembling as a wash of terror and relief filled you, making you feel sick with worry. Your husband looked shocked, and pissed, as he looked down at the splash of red across his skin and clothing, chuckling as he glared up at Ink.</p><p>“What the hell was that, monster? Was that supposed to be threatening?” Your husband jeered, and Ink snarled.</p><p>With a flick of his brush, the paint morphed into a chain, wrapping around your husband’s legs and torso. He fell over, crying out as his head slammed heavily against the floor, the sound causing you to flinch violently as tears began to stream down your face. Ink spared you an apologetic glance before he stalked up to your husband, grabbing the front of his collared shirt. Your husband yelped as Ink yanked him up so their faces were inches apart, his face so filled with rage, it looked murderous.</p><p>“if you ever, and i mean <strong><em>ever</em></strong> come near me or y/n again, i will kill you. understand?” Ink growled, and your husband nodded slightly, eyes filled with fear.</p><p>“good.” Ink said, dropping your husband and punctuating the word with a swift kick to his head.</p><p>You whimpered, shaking like a leaf as you stared up at Ink, a sense of freedom, fear, and relief you had never experienced overwhelming you. You began to sob, finally bringing your hands up from your belly to cover your face, wanting to shut out the horrors of everything your husband had done to you. You flinched violently, muttering a litany of pleads as hands came to pick you up, though these were gentle and kind.</p><p>“shh, my beautiful, strong girl. you’re safe now, it’s okay. you don’t have to be afraid of me, i will never hurt you.” Ink muttered into your ear as he tucked you into his chest, and you relaxed immediately.</p><p>You sobbed as you clung to Ink, looping your arms around his neck and tucking your head under his chin. He shushed you quietly, muttering reassurances and praises as he stepped away from your husband carefully. You felt the familiar, strange sensation of Ink’s shortcuts, and you pulled away from Ink’s hold just enough to see that you were in a house that was decorated similar to the house you knew he had in your Universe, but somehow you could tell something was different.</p><p>“Where are we?” You asked quietly as Ink walked you over to a couch and set you down gently, though you and him both seemed reluctant to let go of the other.</p><p>“my house in the Doodle Sphere, love. don’t worry, he can’t get you here. I’ll keep you safe. just relax while i take a look at you, okay? everything’s gonna be just fine.” Ink explained soothingly, and you relaxed into his couch, doing your best not to flinch as he rolled up your sleeves.</p><p>“oh, princess.” He hummed, his eyelights changing into droplets as he traced his phalanges gently over your bruise littered skin.</p><p>“I’m sorry I never told you.” You muttered, a sudden wave of guilt bringing fresh tears to your eyes.</p><p>“no, no, none of that, princess. you were the victim here, not me, not anyone else. just let me take care of you, okay?” Ink said, and you let yourself relax.</p><p>And as you looked around the happy little house that your best friend called home, you realized that everything would be okay, because you had Ink, and he had you.</p><p>And that was all that mattered.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Dirty Soulmate Killer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sans makes what could be a fatal mistake.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3 class="landmark heading">Chapter Text</h3><p>You awoke to the sound of a crash coming from outside your room.</p><p>You jolted awake, adrenaline immediately pumping through your veins as you sat up so quickly you almost saw stars. You stared out into the darkness of your room, frozen completely in anxious anticipation as you waited for some other sign of distress. Another crash and a shout sounded from the area outside of your door, you leaped out of your bed immediately and rushed to the door, throwing it open as you realized that your bed was empty next to you. Sans was gone.</p><p>You darted out of your room and into the living room, the unearthly terror of being unable to see the danger around you tightening your chest and shortening your gasps. The room was far too dark to properly see anything around you, but you noticed several shards of glass sitting on the ground near you as you fumbled. Your breaths became shallow as you struggled to find the source of light, the panic in your veins making it hard to work properly. You finally found the switch on the wall and abruptly turned the lights on, widening your eyes as you heard an animalistic hiss sound through the living room. </p><p>Standing in front of you was Sans, facing away from you but snapping around to face you as the lights flickered to life. Your breath caught in your throat as you saw his eyelight, glowing a brilliant blue intertwined with yellow. The other was completely black, like a black hole next to a blue star. His massive form was hunched over, shaking violently as he growled with primal terror and fury. It was clear by the look on his face that he didn't recognize you. He was wearing what he wore to bed, a simple pair of shorts, but even in that, he managed to look threatening.</p><p>"Sans?" You choked out quietly, looking around the room for any kind of threat.</p><p>The room seemed mostly untouched, aside from the vase of flowers that had been on the coffee table and the lamp that rested on the tiny table by the couch were both knocked over and completely destroyed, the water and glass of the vase splayed all the way to your bedroom door. Another glance at the couch revealed that a few of the throw pillows that had rested on the armrest were torn by Sans' claws.</p><p>You yelped as you felt a sharp tug in your soul, and the room around your faded into black as four orange buttons appeared in front of you. You stared at your husband in shock, horrified that he had pulled you into an encounter and finally realizing what was going on. The resets. His nightmares. He was having an episode, one worse than you'd ever seen, and he thought <em>you </em>were <em>Frisk</em>! Panicked, you slammed your hand on the mercy button, sparing him as quickly as possible and feeling your heart drop as his magic only tightened on your (now blue) soul.</p><p>"Sans, please listen to me. You're safe, Papy is safe, you're in your home on the surface. Please, just calm down, and let's-" You cut off abruptly as you were picked up and smalled into the wall, the pressure on your soul so intense you were silenced.</p><p>Pain shocked through you, the agony of having your soul compressed and the throbbing burn of being slammed too hard against a wall blending together and making you see white, opening your mouth to scream and having no sound come out. Sans appeared suddenly in front of you, his face curled in an awful snarl as he glared down at you, his hand coming around your throat to further cut off your air. You tried to struggle against his grip, but it was useless, he had you completely defenseless. You felt the sharp jolt of mortal terror and the panicked desperation of fear for your life as he summoned a sharpened bone in his hand, raising it above his head to stab it down and through your heart.</p><p>In an act of desperation, you screamed Papyrus' name as loud as physically possible.</p><p>The sound of his brother's name threw him off, but it was too late. The bone came down, but because he was so startled and disoriented, it stabbed clean through your stomach instead of your heart. You both stared at it for a moment before you jolted as the sound of a door slamming upstairs. You looked down at the bone in your stomach, blood spilling messily onto your pajamas and the floor, and back up at Sans, who looked at you with a sense of tinted victory, no recognition at all on his face. Then it hit you.</p><p>The pain was unbearable. You went into a state of shock, your body falling limp as you dimly registered the sound of Papyrus' and Mettaton's footsteps rushing down the stair. You screamed out, a violent, piercing scream that sent Sans stumbling back, an aggressive snarl on his face as he hissed warningly at you. Papyrus burst into the room at that moment from the hallway across from you, followed closely by Mettaton. He stopped immediately when he saw your situation, Mettaton drawing in a horrified gasp and placing a hand over his mouth.</p><p>Sans growled threateningly at his brother, though it was weak and a flicker of confusion and recognition flashed through his eyes. Papyrus looked to be at a loss for a moment, before he began to approach Sans, speaking too softly for you to hear through the rushing of blood in your ears. Mettaton strode over to you, his face running with black, oily tears as he approached, hands shaking. You choked out his name and reached for him, taking his hand as he placed a calming hand on your face, sobs intensifying.</p><p>"I'm gonna call Gaster and Toriel, okay, darling? You're going to be just fine, I promise. Just stay awake and focus on me, okay?" Mettaton practically begged, his voice shaking as much as his hands as he pulled his phone out of one of his compartments.</p><p>Stay awake? But why would you stay awake when you're in so much pain? Isn't it better to just sleep? Yeah, sleep sounded pretty good right now, but Mettaton looked pretty upset.</p><p>"Gaster? I'm sorry to call you so late but I need you to come to our house right now, it's an imminent emergency. Y/n is dying, there was thi-" Mettaton was interrupted from his anxious explanation as Gaster appeared beside him, wearing his lab coat and looking alarmed and exhausted.</p><p>As he caught sight of you, his eyes widened as much as they could, horror crossing his face as his gaze fell to the bone in your stomach. The pain was dulled now, replaced with an almost numb throbbing. You looked up at Gaster and Mettaton, who still had his hand resting on your face, and you felt your eyes drifting closed. Mettaton began to panic, tears coming down faster as he pointed out to Gaster that your soul was beginning to dim.</p><p>Gaster grabbed the sides of your face, turning your head towards him as it lolled to the side, your consciousness slowly fading as you began to stop fighting against the welcoming darkness.</p><p>"Do not fall asleep. Listen to me, Y/n. <em>Do. Not. Fall. Asleep!</em>" He said, shaking your head, but it was too late.</p><p>You blacked out. </p><p> </p><p>********</p><p> </p><p>"Mom, I think she's waking up!"</p><p>Everything <em>fucking</em> hurt. You felt like you'd been hit with six trucks then dumped into a vat of boiling acid mixed with lava. Everything burned, every breath felt like your lungs were trying to crawl out of your ribcage, and your heart was pounding so fast you thought you might throw up. You felt an odd, warm, not entirely unpleasant sensation on your upper stomach, and a weird, achy sensation on your inner elbow, which was displayed outward at an odd angle.</p><p>With an annoyed, pained groan, you forced your eyes open, blinking a bit as your eyes were assaulted by a far too-bright fluorescent light. Finally, you managed to force your eyes all the way open, and you saw Toriel, Gaster, Frisk, and Papyrus leaning over you. You blinked up at them, confused, and they all breathed out heavy sighs of relief and moved back a bit. You noticed that Gaster was standing at the foot of the small bed you were laying on, Papyrus and Toriel were sitting on chairs on either side of your bed, with Frisk sitting on Papy's lap on your left.</p><p>Your eyes trailed past them to an IV drip filled with blood that connected to your arm, and you blinked blearily, anxiety filling you as you remembered what happened. You began to panic then, breaths quickening as you sat up quickly, screaming at the sudden firey pain in your stomach. Everyone cried out, and there were suddenly four pairs of arms pushing you on the bed, holding you there as you began to squirm.</p><p>"Calm down, my child. You are safe, please stop panicking. Shh, calm down." Toriel cooed softly, petting your head with one paw while the other was planted firmly on your chest.</p><p>Gaster withdrew his hands from your shoulders and you looked up at him, slowly forcing yourself to relax. Gaster smiled softly down at you, his eyes fond as you watched him. Finally, you relaxed completely, and they all withdrew their hands. You noticed Papyrus bring his hand to hover just above your injury, and you watched in fascination as green magic flowed between you and him.</p><p>"Do you remember what happened to you?" Gaster asked you gently, picking up a clipboard covered in Wingdings and a pen and poising to write, looking down at you expectantly.</p><p>"Yeah, I remember." You said, swallowing.</p><p>"Good. How do you feel?"</p><p>"Awful. It burns and my head is killing me and every muscle I have is aching."</p><p>"I'm sorry to hear that. Can you tell me what happened?"</p><p>The questions continued like that, and Frisk clutched tightly at your hand the entire time like they were afraid you'd disappear if they let go even once. Papyrus and Toriel took turns healing you, and eventually, it was explained to you that if they stopped for too long, you would likely start losing blood again and could die. They looked exhausted, and you expressed immense guilt to them, but they merely dismissed you and told you to worry about yourself. Finally, you turned to Gaster and asked the question that had been knawing at you.</p><p>"Is Sans okay? Can I see him?"</p><p>Everyone in the room stilled, though Toriel quickly returned her attention to her magic. Frisk tightened their grip on your hand almost painfully, and Gaster sighed, adjusting the glasses that were taped to his face. To your surprise, it wasn't the scientist who answered, but Papyrus.</p><p>"MY BROTHER IS FINE; I WAS ABLE TO HELP HIM REGAIN HIS SENSES AS METTATON AND GASTER WERE MOVING YOU HERE. HE IS...VERY DISTRAUGHT AT WHAT HE'S DONE, AND THOUGH HE WANTS TO SEE YOU, TORIEL AND GASTER, AS WELL AS ALPHYS AND UNDYNE, WOULD LIKE HIM TO STAY AWAY FROM YOU FOR A WHILE. UNDYNE AND ALPHYS ARE WITH HIM AT HOME, AND METTATON LEFT TO GET US ALL LUNCH AND WILL BE BACK SOON." Papyrus explained, and your attention immediately snapped towards Gaster.</p><p>"Why can't he see me?" You asked, your voice tinged with anxiety.</p><p>Gaster grimaced at bit at the saddened, pleading tone of your voice. "He is a bit unstable right now. Seeing you in such a damaged state, especially when it was his fault, set off his instincts and it's making him very protective and jittery. We just want to make sure you're doing a little better before we let him near you."</p><p>You felt your heart sink a little at the prospect of not seeing him, the worry knawing at you as you chewed on your lip. Papyrus flashed you a smile and a thumbs-up as he took over your healing from Toriel, who sat back, panting a bit. Gaster looked over at her, a bit concerned, before offering her a bottle of water that had been sitting on the table. She took it eagerly, and you noticed she'd been sweating.</p><p>"Maybe I should call in another healer. Is there anyone else we could call to help you two with this draining process?" Gaster asked, and Toriel looked contemplative for a moment, before sighing.</p><p>"That would probably be best. The only monster I can think of off the top of my head is Grillby. He's old enough that I'm sure he could sustain this for even longer than us, though I don't want to pull him from his work." Toriel offered, and you furrowed your brows, adverse to the idea of bothering the elemental.</p><p>"Dr. Alphys is actually quite skilled at healing."</p><p>The attention of the room shifted as the door opened up to reveal Mettaton, carrying several brown bags. A pleasant smell drifted into the room, and you quickly realized how hungry you were. As Mettaton realized you were awake, he rushed over and around Papyrus to your side, placing the bags messily on the bedside table on your left side and smiling brightly at you. You grinned back as he leaned down to kiss your head, wrapping you up in a careful hug before pulling back and holding your head in his hands.</p><p>"Darling, I'm so happy to see you okay! Please, for the love of the Underground, never scare us like that again!" He said, giving you another kiss on the head before drawing back.</p><p> As he passed out the food, revealing a plethora of lovely looking monster food, and your favorite burger from Grillby's, Toriel, Gaster, and Papyrus discussed asking Alphys for help. You tuned out of their conversation, a bout of exhaustion washing over you as you quickly finished off your burger and drink. Frisk chatted quietly with you and Mettaton as they noticed you getting lost in darker thoughts, keeping you company until you yawned in the middle of a sentence.</p><p>"I think it's time we let Y/n get some more rest. They need their sleep for their long recovery." Gaster said gently as you began to drift off.</p><p>"I'll see you around, darling. I'm gonna take Frisk here home to Asgore so they can get some sleep. They've been up all night, keeping watch over you." Mettaton said, scooping up an exhausted Frisk out of Papyrus' lap and pressing a kiss to the skeleton's skull.</p><p>"Bye, Metta. Bye-bye, Frisk." You said with a small wave, struggling to stay awake.</p><p>Gaster pulled up a chair on the other side of the room, next to a metal table littered with papers and journals, and opened his laptop, beginning to type at a frantic pace as they walked out. Mettaton blew you one last kiss before shutting the lights off and closing the door behind him, bathing the room in darkness. A soft, green glow and the blue light of Gaster's computer help to stave off the worst of the darkness, and you fell asleep to the calming sound of clicking keys, and soft murmurs shared between your two healers.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey guys! I promise I am going to be finishing everyone’s requests and I implore you to ask for more! I just got really long acrylics and it’s super difficult to type so I had this story archived and decided to bring it out for all of you guys! I hope you all enjoy! I love you all!</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. A Hello</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I’m sorry!!</p>
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    <p>Hello, darlings!</p><p>If you’re new to this Undertale extravaganza, welcome my beautiful child! <br/><br/>If not, I’m so sorry I haven’t updated anything consistently in forever! I got these beautiful but obnoxiously long acrylics and I can only type on my phone (which I hate!)</p><p>However, I have been absolutely dying to get back to writing and I have a few fics lined up. A lovely request for some half-monster reader and some Underfell Papy which is going to be a fun, fluffy fic I’m dying to write!</p><p>The other is a fic that was requested as simply having Horror Sans and I am <em>so freaking excited </em>for this fic I think I’m gonna die.</p><p>I promise you guys I’m still alive and I will be back soon but thank you for being so patient and sweet. If you want more of my work check out my homepage and please please please please please leave me comments and ask for more fics because it is what keeps me going in this horrible pandemic so please and thank you!</p><p>I promise I’ll be back super soon!</p><p>I love you all!</p><p>-TerryPie</p>
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